Perspectives in Contemporary Catholic Philosophy: Ethics, Epistemology, and Metaphysics

Dear Colleagues,

Catholic philosophy is today more alive than ever, with many philosophers pursuing its many riches in multiple directions–ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics, among others. And yet, it is fair to say that today’s philosophical landscape today is greatly fragmented. In fact, the divide between “analytic” and “continental” in contemporary philosophy seems to be only the tip of the iceberg. What this divide signals is the tendency in today’s philosophy toward a much broader multiplicity of views, methods, and idioms, which often strike us as an insoluble fragmentation. This may be due in part to the extension to philosophy of the specialization typical of other forms of knowledge. At the same time, however, this fragmentation may be the sign of an even greater crisis, a crisis ensuing from the loss of the proper center and horizon of the philosophical act. If this were not enough, contemporary Christian thinkers have added to the multiplicity of views (one could think, for instance, of the French debate in the 1930s) by debating whether the phrase “Christian philosophy” is at all legitimate, and the position that responds affirmatively to this question is by no means majoritarian. Can philosophy be truly Christian, even Catholic, without, on the one hand, crossing the threshold of theology and, on the other hand, without being sectarian? Is Catholic philosophy just another factor in the fragmentation of the contemporary philosophical scene, or is it rather a resource to reclaim the proper center and horizon of the philosophical act? Can Catholic philosophy be one and at the same time many?

We invite paper submissions for the Special Issue of Religions, “Perspectives in Contemporary Catholic Philosophy: Ethics, Epistemology, and Metaphysics.” We are particularly interested in papers discussing the possibility that Catholic philosophy may be a resource, rather than an additional impediment, in reclaiming the center and horizon of the philosophical act – that the philosophical act may come into itself, as it were, by doing philosophy in light of revelation. The focus of the papers ought not be exclusively methodological (although papers on methodology are most welcome). Ideal papers would exemplify one of the many ways in which Catholic philosophy can be pursued. Papers can address the nature of Catholic philosophy directly or indirectly, for instance, by focusing on the role that Catholic philosophy plays in contemporary ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics; by drawing on the history of philosophy and its contemporary relevance; by discussing one or more of the themes dear to the philosophical tradition in light of their contemporary relevance; by raising constructive objections to the very idea of Catholic philosophy.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 150-200 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Dr. Marco Stango (Marco.Stango@stbernards.edu), Dr. Erik van Versendaal (erik.van.versendaal@gmail.com), and Dr. Michael Taylor (mtaylor@thomasmorecollege.edu), cc the Assistant Editor of Religions, Ms. Joyce Xi (joyce.xi@mdpi.com). 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.

Dr. Marco Stango
Dr. Erik van Versendaal
Dr. Michael Taylor
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Catholic philosophy
• ethics
• epistemology
• metaphysics
• philosophical methodology
• analytic–continental divide
• philosophy and revelation