August 17, 2006 Source: :
http://www.mta.ca/news/index.cgi?id=1077 Conference brings scholars from around the globe to Mount A, Aug. 18-20 Mount Allison University, in collaboration with the International Institute for Hermeneutics, is pleased to host an exciting three-day conference entitled Questioning the Absolute: New Readings of Traditional Arguments for God’s Existence. This international interdisciplinary workshop on the philosophy of religion will be held on campus August 18-20. Scholars of religion, theologians, and philosophers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, and the United States will discuss what contemporary relevance traditional philosophical arguments for God’s existence might have in today’s globalized, multi-cultural society. The conference is being co-organized by Dr. Sean McGrath, an assistant professor in philosophy at Mount Allison, and Dr. Andrzej Wiercinski, a research professor at the International Institute for Hermeneutics in Lublin, Poland, and features several Mount Allison University faculty members. Dr. Sean McGrath says, "We’re pleased to welcome so many distinguished scholars to campus. The conference will explore a central thread running through the Western philosophical tradition — monotheism — along with several historical proofs for the existence of an infinite and omnipotent God." According to McGrath, the history of Western philosophy has largely been studied as a well-defined discipline with a well-known list of authors. He says, "It is becoming increasingly apparent that this tradition is only one among many in the world, especially as researchers from Islam, Africa, and Asia, make their religious traditions better known. As globalization brings Western philosophy to a new understanding of its limits, a re-thinking of the significance of these proofs is necessary." Questioning the Absolute will seek to address these issues through lively discussions and formal presentations. Members of the public are invited to attend all conference presentations and are asked to contact Marilyn Settle, Mount Allison philosophy department (364-2556, msettle@mta.ca) for a complete conference schedule and to confirm attendance. —30— For further information please contact Dr. Sean McGrath, department of philosophy, Mount Allison University (smcgrath@mta.ca) or visit the web site www.mta.ca/iih
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