Symposium on Chinese Philosophical Theology | What Is the Natural?

This symposium seeks to address the research question: ‘What is the natural? ’ The concepts of nature and the natural have brought about enduring questions in philosophical theology and related areas. These concepts can be used to spell out the claim that knowledge of God is accessible through nature. They can also be associated with various forms of naturalism, such as scienti$c naturalism, methodological naturalism, and metaphysical naturalism. Furthermore, they are often tied up with moral philosophy in the form of natural law. While ‘nature’ and ‘the natural’ have been extensively discussed in philosophical theology, what is still underexplored, if not unexplored, is how Chinese philosophy may inform and advance this discussion.

The symposium is intended as a small, invitation-only event. We invite paper proposals that develop a philosophical theology of nature through engagement with Chinese philosophy. Papers may either engage with any of Chinese philosophical traditions, or recon$gure the concepts of ‘nature’ or ‘the natural’ through Sino-Western philosophical and theological exchange, or make use of Christian theology to reconceptualise ‘nature’ or ‘the natural’ for Chinese philosophy.