Discussion about atheism is increasing in the public sphere as well as among the academics. Although there are lots of non-epistemic factors engaged in transiting between theism and atheism – factors that are subject matters of scientific fields – discussing about the epistemic aspect of this transition is a matter of controversy among philosophers. The keyword in this discussion is rationality especially from epistemic viewpoint. Rationality is the playground of philosophers and a good departure for them exploring each side and looking for the criteria’s that are in coordination with what is still left of what is known as human. This conference will focus on the topic of atheism and theism from this perspective and will examine the rationality of claims raised by each side. Additionally, since one of the main controversies in the debate between theists and atheists is around proofs for and against the existence of God, our conference will try to investigate the basis of these arguments and discover the consistency and coherency of them.
Conference Schedule
Rationality, Theism, and Atheism (RTA 2021)
Conference virtual room: https://www.skyroom.online/ch/irip/rta2021/l/en
FIRST DAY - March 1, 2021 (Monday)
Opening 9:00 – 10:00 (5:30 - 6:30 GMT)
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Panel Title: Critique of Ontological argument Panel Chair: Muhammad Saeidimehr Timing: 10:00 – 12:00 (6:30 –8:30 GMT) |
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Lecturer |
Title |
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1 |
Cornel Hertogh |
Anselm’s Ontological Argument Reconsidered As a Religious Thought Experiment |
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2 |
Michael Bauwens |
Exploring the argument for God from truth |
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3 |
Javier Perez-Jara |
The God-question(s) and the Ontological Dimensions of Being |
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4 |
Hannes Schumacher |
Divine inexistence and the ontological argument |
Keynote Speaker 14:00 – 15:00 (10:30 – 11:30 GMT):
Richard Swinburne:
“Notes on ‘Why Hume and Kant were mistaken in rejecting natural theology?”
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Panel Title: Rationality of religious belief/disbelief Panel Chair: Rasoul Rasoulipour Timing: 15:00 – 17:00 (11:30 – 13:30 GMT) |
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Lecturer |
Title |
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1 |
Rik Peels |
Can Atheism Be Properly Basic? |
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2 |
Philip Hopkins |
In the Absence of Evidence: Mill and James against Hume’s “On Miracles” in Conversation with Ancient Voices and Sacred Texts |
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3 |
Mark Boespflug |
Experts and Laity: What the Social Epistemology of Science and Religion Reveals About Their Relationship |
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4 |
Mohsen Javadi |
Definition of Faith and the Question of Rationality of Theism |
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5 |
Rasoul Rasoulipour |
Plantinga and Marx/Freud De Jure Challenge to Theistic Belief |
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Panel Title: On (ir)rationality of Atheism Panel Chair: Kelly Clark Timing: 17:00 - 19:30 (13:30 – 16:00 GMT) |
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Lecturer |
Title |
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1 |
Kelly James Clark |
Atheism and inferential thinking |
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2 |
Alireza Kazemi |
What Can Evil (Rationally) Test? |
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3 |
Kyle Moore |
Atheism and the concept of religion in the early Kojève |
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4 |
Safaruk Chowdhury |
Prior Cognitive Information and An Islamic Argument from Reason |
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5 |
Zeinab Salari |
On Preferring God’s Non-Existence |
SECOND DAY - March 2, 2021 (Tuesday)
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Panel Title: Critique of God-World relation Panel Chair: Ebrahim Azadegan Timing: 10:30 - 13:00 (7:00 – 9:30 GMT) |
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Lecturer |
Title |
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1 |
Muhammad Legenhausen |
Inferentialism and Divine Necessity |
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2 |
Andrew Loke |
The Kalam Cosmological Argument and the Rationality of Theism
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3 |
Saeed Masoumi |
Some Comments on the Kalam Cosmological Argument and the First Instance of Time |
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4 |
Hamed Bikaraan-Behesht |
The Conflict between Theism and Naturalism: Methodological or Metaphysical? |
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Panel Title: Problems of traditional theistic arguments Panel Chair: Reza Akbari Timing: 14:00 – 16:00 (10:30 – 12:30 GMT) |
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Lecturer |
Title |
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1 |
Aleksandar Novakovic |
Why we do not need demonstrative proof for God’s existence to know that God exists: Robert Nozick’s case for the existence of God |
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2 |
Reza Bakhshayesh |
Kant from Agnosticism to Theism |
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3 |
Lara Scaglia |
Critique, reason, tradition. Kant and Al-Jabri on the possibility of reasonable belief in God |
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4 |
Mojgan Khalili |
Epistemic and Metaphysical Possibility or Impossibility of God’s Existence according to Wittgenstein |
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Panel Title: Problems concerning God’s Attributes Panel Chair: Ebrahim Azadegan Timing: 16:15- 18:15 (12:45 – 14:45 GMT) |
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Lecturer: |
Title: |
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1 |
Ebrahim Azadegan |
Abraham’s Plead with God |
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2 |
Jacob Quick |
In Defense of the (Non-)Existence of God: The Rationality of Christian Mystical Theism |
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3 |
Jamie Benjamin Turner |
inferential vs non-inferential interpretation of divine attributes in the Islamic tradition |
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4 |
Ehsan Karimi Torshizi Hedieh Yaghubi Bojmaeh |
The Bi-lā Kayfa Doctrine: Theological-Philosophical Perspectives |
Closing - Keynote speaker 18:30 – 19:30 (15:00 – 15:30 GMT):
Peter van Inwagen
“Is God an Unnecessary Hypothesis?”
Organizers
مؤسسه پژوهشی حکمت و فلسفه ایران
Iranian Institute of Philosophy
Office of International Cooperation
No. 6, Araklyan St., Neauphle-le-Château St.,
Vali-Asr Ave., Postal Code: 1133614816
Tehran, Iran