EFSRE VI: Religion, Materialism and Ecology

European Forum for the Study of Religion and the Environment
in association with the Lincoln Theological Institute 

 

is pleased to announce its sixth international conference 

to be held at The University of Manchester, UK 

 

Religion, Materialism and Ecology

Friday 15 May to Sunday 17 May 2020

 

Confirmed speakers include:

- Rachel Armstrong (Newcastle University, UK)
- Whitney Bauman (Florida International University, and Berlin)
- Bruno Latour (Sciences Po, Paris)
- Linn Tonstad (Yale) 

 

A Call for Short Papers and further information will be published in 2019

AI and the Common Good?

On Monday 16th October, at St Chad's Church (Ladybarn), Dr Scott Midson, together with colleagues at the University of Manchester from Computer Science (including Prof Angelo Cangelosi and Dr David Rydeheard) and their robotic companion Pepper, presented and discussed how theological reflections on the common good can inform debate about the ethics of AI. (The talk has also been given at Sacred Trinity church in Salford.) The event was part of St Chad's successful 'Science and Religion' series, organised by Rev. Albert Radcliffe. A summary of the event is below. 

One-day event, 'At the Heart on the Edge'

Prof Peter Scott of the LTI will be speaking at an event as part of the HeartEdge network. The one-day event, to be held at St Peter's House, Oxford Road (Wednesday 31st October), will facilitate reflection on congregation, commerce, compassion, and culture. 

For booking and more details, click here. 

Special issue, 'The New Visibility of Religion and its Impact'

The journal Religions has announced a special issue to address the theme of the 'new visibility of religion'. The issue will be edited by Dr Michael Hoelzl, who originally coined the phrase with Prof Graham Ward in 2008.

The issue will consider what implications the new visibility of religion, as a challenge to conventional secularisation theory, has had for the political, technological, and cultural spheres. Dr Hoelzl, who is based at the University of Manchester and is an affiliate of the LTI, will work with Dr Scott Midson (LTI, University of Manchester) and Dr Andrew Crome (Manchester Metropolitan University) in developing the special issue.

Further details can be found on the Religions website. The deadline for submissions is 21 March 2020.

Public Event, 'Robots vs Loneliness?'

Can robots tackle loneliness? Or do they risk making us lonelier than ever? 

At this public event, a panel of experts will share their views about our social futures (and presents) with robots, and you are invited to join the discussion and share your questions and views. 

Tuesday 6th November, 7pm, Manchester Cathedral

Limited free tickets available through Eventbrite

This event is organised as part of ESRC Festival of Social Science 2018, and is part of the LTI project 'Living with and Loving Machines'.

LTI research featured in 'The Conversation'

Dr Scott Midson, currently Postdoctoral Research Associate at the LTI, has written a short essay for the online journal The Conversation.

Titled 'Why Silicon Valley needs theologians', the piece highlights the need for theologians in a complex technoculture. It considers perceptions about religion and theology, including the reasons why they are typically overlooked in discussions about the ethics and philosophy of technology, while arguing overall that the sense of mystery in how we think about, develop, and use technology provides an opening for theological insights. These insights can tackle the 'solutionist' atittude that we cultivate with technologies.

Overall, the piece outlines the need for interdisciplinary conversation that includes and is enriched by theologians reflecting on the nature of belief in the contemporary world. 

The full text can be accessed here.