Classical and Alternative Conceptions of the Divine in Contemporary Philosophy of Religion

Dear Colleagues,

The problem of the divine is one of grand philosophical themes, debated almost from the dawn of philosophy itself, and this issue persists into the present in the philosophical explorations pursued in our times. One peculiarity of the contemporary discussion is the growing awareness of religious and worldview diversity. The discussion offers not only new takes on old controversies, updated versions of more or less popular positions propounded over the centuries, renewed versions of traditional arguments and polemics against them, but also completely new themes. While classical concepts of God are being developed and modified, proponents of concepts described as non-classical or alternative (pantheism, panentheism, polytheism, and religious naturalism) are not in short supply. The concepts of the divine sought are ones that are capable of encompassing not only the propositions hitherto present in the field of discourse, but also those that may be born out of the religious search undertaken by humanity undergoing evolutionary development, also in the religious field. There is also a dispute about whether the concepts of divinity present in individual religions should influence the discussion in the area of philosophy of religion and what conditions must be met for this influence to be considered philosophically acceptable. A conceptual framework is also being sought, one that will make the philosophical discussion about the concepts of the divine that come into play possible at all.

You are welcome to join in the discussion of these issues, and articles submitted for the current Special Issue can be on the following topics:

• Comparison between classical and non-classical (alternative) concepts of the divine;
• What classical theism is;
• Arguments for and against classical theism;
• Arguments for pantheism;
• The panentheistic concept of divinity;
• Arguments for polytheism;
• Religious naturalism;
• Evolutionary religion;
• The relationship between the philosophy of religion and the theologies of individual religions;
• Ultimism and other conceptual frameworks for the discussion of divinity.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

References:

Brooke John Hedley and Russell Re Manning and Fraser Watts (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Natural Theology, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2013.

Flint Thomas nad Michael C. Rea, The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Theology, Oxford: Oxford Unversity Press 2011.

Hoffman, Joshua and Gary S. Rosenkrantz, 2002, The Divine Attributes, Oxford: Blackwell.

Lane Craig William and James P. Moreland (ed.), The Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology, Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell 2012.

Leftow Brian, God, concepts of, [in]: Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://www.rep.routledge.com/articles/thematic/god-concepts-of/v-1/sections/classical-theism

Lougheed Kirk, The Axiological Status of Theism and Other Worldviews, London: Routledge 2021.

Schellnberg John L, Religon After Science, Cambriidge: Cambridge Universit Press 2019.

Schellnberg John L., Progressive Atheism: How Moral Evolution Changes the God Debate, London: Bloomsbury Publishing 2019.

Wainwright William, Concepts of God, [in]: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/archIves/sum2020/entries/concepts-god/

Prof. Dr. Jacek Wojtysiak
Dr. Miłosz Hołda
Guest Editors

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• philosophy of religion
• classical and non-classical [alternative] concepts of God
• classical theism
• pantehism
• panenthiesm
• polytheism
• religious naturalism