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23-24 October 2018.

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Conference

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The Evolutionary Research on Morality and Theological Ethics

Abstracts

The Evolutionary Research on Morality and Theological Ethics.

23-24 October 2018.

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Recent works in biology, social psychology and cognitive sciences show a growing interest for evolutionary accounts of morality. Following the seminal research agenda of Bill Hamilton, an impressive body of empirical inquiries has investigated into the nature of animal groups and behavior within them. As a consequence, joint agency, altruism, and collaboration among kin and non kin have become an important focus of experimental tests. The cumulative evidence that prosocial behaviors favor biological fitness has progressively lead to questioning whether human morality is naturalistically framed upon evolutionary grounds. Grossly speaking, two parties are disputing at present. The former originates from Frans de Waal’s studies on great apes. According to such option human morality is rooted in animal emphaty, and is continuous in respect to behavioral patterns which most mammals exhibit. On the contrary, the latter denies that human morality has anything to do with animal prosociality, because the cognitive abilities of human beings are noncontinuous in respect to animal ones, and such abilities alone constitute the conditions for the possibility of morality. Michael Tomasello is a leading proponent of such an option.

The purpose of the conference is to investigate whether the evolutionary debate on morality is relevant to theological ethics. Questions which may be addressed are the following: What do evolutionists mean by relating morality to prosociality? How do they outline altruistic behaviors? Why should such behaviors be relevant to understanding human morality? Does the evolutionary emergence of animal prosociality provide reasons against the legitimacy of ethics? Are evolutionary accounts of morality debunking tools for the irreducibility of morality?

Notoriously, many theists have no problem with the theory of evolution, because they hold that it does not undermine creationism (i.e., God is the creator of nature and the laws of nature). If this is the case, some questions arise. Which God is the designer of the evolutionary process? Does He act in the world only by framing a natural mechanism at the beginning of time? Can we understand his purposes by considering the natural history of the universe? Are animal sufferings which are required by the evolutionary process reasons in support to the argument from evil?

The conference provides a venue to debate such topics and advance fresh contributions to the international research on different approaches to the nature of ethics and the related notions of God.

 

SPEAKERS.

 

Georg Gasser, Innsbruck Universität

Andrew Pinsent, Oxford University

Andrea Lavazza, Società Italiana di Neuroetica e Centro Internazionale Universitario di Arezzo

Roberto Di Ceglie, Pontificia Università Lateranense

Daniele Bertini, Università di Roma Tor Vergata  

 

We have two slots for contributed papers (30 minutes reading, 15 minutes for discussion). Please send an extended abstract in-between 500 and 1000 words. The body of the email should include the author’s details (name, position, affiliation, contact details, title of the abstract). The deadline for abstract submissions is 30 June 2018. Applicants will receive a response regarding their submission by 31 July 2018. Costs for accommodation will be covered by the University of Urbino, but costs for travel can not be reimbursed.   Submissions and inquiries should be sent to Prof. Andrea Aguti (andrea.aguti@uniurb.it) and Dr. Daniele Bertini (daniele.bertini@uniroma2.it).

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From Scientific Evidence to the Existence of God.

27 October 2017

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In recent years, scholarly debates in philosophy of religion attest a revival of interest for the demonstrations of the existence of God. Swinburne’s probabilistic approach, Plantinga’s modal reading of Anselm’s ontological prove, and Craig’s Kalam argument are just a few of notable examples.

The purpose of the present seminar is to investigate the topic from the viewpoint of the scientific epistemic practices. In particular, we aim at assessing whether empirical findings in the fields of evolutionary biology may provide empirical premises to sound logical arguments.

 

Keynote speakers.

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Andrea Aguti, University of Urbino. From scientific evidence to the existence of a Designer: the ID.

Ciro De Florio, Catholic University of Milan. Recent cosmological arguments for God.

Winfried Löffler, University of Innsbruck. God and the biological theory of evolution. 

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Respondents.

 

Lubos Rojka, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome

Roberto Presilla, Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome

Giuseppe Tanzella Nitti, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome

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Timetable.

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14.00-14.30. Introduction to the seminar.

14.30-16.00. Ciro De Florio & Lubos Rojka (45 minutes by De Florio, 15 minutes by Rojka, 30 minutes Question & Answers)

16.00-16.15. Coffee break

16.15-17.45. Winfried Löffler & Roberto Presilla (45 minutes by Löffler, 15 minutes by Presilla, 30 minutes Question & Answers)

17.45-19.15. Andrea Aguti & Giuseppe Tanzella Nitti (45 minutes by Aguti, 15 minutes by Tanzella Nitti, 30 minutes Question & Answers)

20.00. Social dinner

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The conference will take place at the University of Rome 2, Tor Vergata, Dipartimento di Studi letterari, Filosofici e di Storia dell'arte, Macroarea di Lettere e Filosofia, Edificio B, Via Columbia 1, Roma.

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Everyone is welcome. Attendance is free, but if you think to take part to our event, please contact one of the cluster's members. 

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Languages of the conference are Italian and English.

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