Philosophy, Religion and the Future: 10th Conference of the Nordic Society for Philosophy of Religion

Uppsala June 11-13 2025

Few things concern us more than the future. However, ‘the future’ is an elusive concept we must always grasp and reflect on against current background conceptions of past and present, and even of time itself. What are the relations between past, present and future like in different religions and worldviews, and what are the implications for how we understand and should understand the future as individuals and communities?

Many conceptions of the future – optimistic or pessimistic – also have a normative impact: explicitly or implicitly, they predict what to prepare for and what measures to take today to prevent that future from coming about or speeding up its arrival. How are different scenarios about the future interpreted and used in arguments about what we should do now?

Within the philosophy of religion, there is also a broad dissatisfaction with the contemporary state of the discipline and a lively discussion about its future. What, if anything, is wrong with the contemporary philosophy of religion, and what should the future philosophy of religion look like?

Invited Speakers and Call for Papers

Confirmed keynote speakers:

Mikel Burley, University of Leeds
Lina Langby, Uppsala University
Atle Søvik, MF School of Theology, Oslo
Claudia Welz, Aarhus University

 

Call for papers

The Nordic Society for Philosophy of Religion welcomes short papers with a reading time of 20 minutes within the following areas:

 

1.      Past, present and future times in religions and worldviews

What is the relationship between past, present, and future in different religions and worldviews, and how do they relate to, for instance, various everyday and scientific conceptions of time and the future? What contributions can they make to our understanding of human nature and the existential and moral standing of human beings and the world?

 

2.      The future of religions and worldviews

The future always eludes us in the sense that we never know exactly what it holds in store for us individually, for the various communities we belong to, or for humanity as a whole. Both in secular and religious thought about the future, we find utopian visions of a technological or spiritual Eden and apocalyptic accounts of an overheated planet marred by increasing material scarcity, political authoritarianism and a gradual takeover by AI technologies spinning out of control. What different conceptions of the future can we find in secular and religious worldviews, which challenges and opportunities will religions and worldviews encounter in the future, and how may our worldviews and understanding of human nature change in light of religious, social and technological developments?

 

3.      Future philosophies of religion: comparative, political, narrative, multidisciplinary or what?

The future is also a hot topic in the philosophy of religion’s ongoing self-reflections about its future. The discipline is frequently criticized for being too oriented towards (Christian) theism, abstract and specialized, and insulated from other academic disciplines. So, what should a future philosophy of religion look like? Which topics should it address, and by which methods?

 

4.      Other topics

As always, the Nordic Society for Philosophy of Religion welcomes paper presentations on topics other than those directly related to the topic.
 
We plan a special issue of Agatheos: European Journal for Philosophy of Religion https://publicera.kb.se/aejpr/index based on papers presented at the conference. More information will follow.

Submitting papers

Submit your abstract of maximum 300 words no later than April 1 via the link below. You will receive notification no later than April 15. If you for some reason need early acceptance or have any questions, please send an e-mail to ulf.zackariasson@teol.uu.se.
https://doit.medfarm.uu.se/bin/kurt3/kurt/8878831

Participation without presentation of papers

Of course, we also welcome participants who do not plan to present a paper. Please indicate your interest by following the link above and filling out the required information. Simply select the option Do not plan to present a paper. More information will follow via e-mail about registration, payment of fees, et cetera.
We anticipate a conference fee of 50 euros (perhaps a bit higher for senior scholars with a permanent position). More information about payment, etc, will follow.

The Nordic Society of Philosophy of Religion

The Nordic Society of Philosophy of Religion is an organization of scholars in the Nordic and Baltic countries interested in the philosophy of religion. The society's most important activity is the biennial conference, held in different venues in the Nordic/Baltic region each time. Professor Marius Timman Mjaaland, Oslo, chairs the society.

Local organizers of the 2025 conference are Professor Mikael Stenmark and Professor Ulf Zackariasson, Uppsala

Travel and Accommodation

Uppsala is conveniently located just 40 minutes by train from Stockholm and 20 minutes by train from Stockholm Arlanda International Airport. Both buses and trains run frequently directly from Arlanda to Uppsala. There are plenty of hotels and hostels in downtown Uppsala, from which you can reach the conference venue, the English Park Campus, by foot. Unfortunately, we have no opportunities to offer financial support for travel or accommodation. The conference will start in the afternoon of June 11 and end around noon on June 13.