Religious Philosophy Between Humanism and Posthumanism

Posthumanist philosophy (both critical and speculative posthumanism) has mounted different kinds of criticism of, and offered some alternatives to, humanism and its stance on the relationship between humans, the natural environment, and technology. Traditional Christian and other Abrahamic theologies – unlike some Eastern religious philosophes like Shinto, Daoist, and Buddhist – have presupposed an anthropocentric focus on ‘man’ as the centre of God’s concern in creation, and have therefore given a moral and cultural priority to humanity. Secular humanism has retained this or made it more pronounced, only without God. On the other hand, some strands of Western religious imaginary and philosophy offer opportunities for at least partial ‘re-enchantment of the world’, which has direct implications for the philosophy of nature and philosophy of technology and might reframe the debate between humanism(s) and posthumanism(s).

During this two-day symposium, the invited scholars will explore and question the ways in which religion or secularism are (said to be) relevant for rethinking human-environment and human-machine relationships. The speakers are approaching the topic from notably different disciplinary angles (philosophy, theology, literary studies and history of ideas), which will enable a unique cross-disciplinary conversation.

Contributors:

• John Durham Peters (Yale University)
• Constantine Sandis (University of Hertfordshire)
• Todd Weir (University of Groningen)
• Carool Kersten (King’s College London/SRC Koper)
• Noreen Herzfeld (St. John’s University in Minnesota/SRC Koper)
• Lenart Škof (SRC Koper/AMEU ISH)
• Polona Tratnik (New University/IRRIS)
• Nadja Furlan Štante (SRC Koper)
• Gorazd Andrejč (University of Groningen/SRC Koper)