Call for Proposals: Conference “Evolution and Transcendence: Philosophical, Scientific, and Religious Perspectives” (18.–21.06.2018, Berlin)

The conference “Evolution and Transcendence: Philosophical, Scientific, and Religious Perspectives” (2018 conference of The Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought, IARPT) will be held from June 18 to 21, 2017, at the Catholic Academy of Berlin.

The theme of the 2018 IARPT conference is human transcendence considered in the light of biocultural evolution. Central to this theme are the questions of human uniqueness and the various interpretations of transcendence that can be given in light of this uniqueness, as well as questions about the kinds of social and cultural conditions that are necessary for the development and realization of various kinds of human transcendence. For example: How should we articulate the continuity/discontinuity of the human species in relation to our evolutionary past and the rest of nature, and how should this evolutionary standpoint inform our understanding of the human yearning and capacity for transcendence? Is human transcendence a species universal, or is it a cultural development like agriculture, written language, or mathematics? What kinds of human transcendence are conceivable within a naturalistic, evolutionary framework? How should the phenomenon of human transcendence inform our understanding of nature and evolution?

The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2018.

For more information, check the full Call for Proposals.