Philosophy, Theology and the Sciences (PTSc)
Edited by Andrew Davison (Cambridge), Dirk Evers (Halle-Wittenberg), and Michael Spezio (Claremont)
Managing Editor: Dirk Evers
Associate Editors: Conor Cunningham (Nottingham), David Fergusson (Edinburgh), Agustín Fuentes (Princeton), Peter Harrison (Queensland), Kristian Köchy (Kassel), Nancey Murphy (Pasadena), Robert J. Russell (Berkeley), Mikael Stenmark (Uppsala), Günter Thomas (Bochum), Wesley Wildman (Boston), and Gayle E. Woloschak (Chicago)
ISSN 2195-9773 (Print Edition)
ISSN 2197-2834 (Online Edition)
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299.00 € Price for institutions
including VAT
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54.00 € Price for individuals
including VAT
Philosophy, Theology and the Sciences (PTSc) is a peer-reviewed biannual journal which provides a platform for constructive and critical interactions between the natural sciences in all their varieties (from physics and biology to psychology, anthropology and social science) and the fields of contemporary philosophy and theology.
Philosophy, Theology and the Sciences (PTSc) is a peer-reviewed biannual journal which provides a platform for constructive and critical interactions between the natural sciences in all their varieties (from physics and biology to psychology, anthropology and social science) and the fields of contemporary philosophy and theology. It invites scholars, religious or non-religious, to participate in that endeavor. The journal provides the rare opportunity to examine together the truth claims found in theology, philosophy, and the sciences, as well as the methods found in each discipline and the meanings derived from them. Each issue has a topical focus. For all articles and contributions exceeding a length of 8 pages, a double-blind review will be commissioned. From 2024 on, PTSc will be published Open Access under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license, at no costs for authors and readers. This is funded by the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model and relies on the willingness of libraries to subscribe to the journal.
Philosophy, Theology and the Sciences is listed in: ATLA Religion Database, Baidu Scholar, BIBP, Ebsco Discovery Service, Index Religiosus, Philosopher's Index, and Philpapers.
Transhumanism, Posthumanism and Supernaturalism
Table of Contents
pp. I-II (2)
Editorial Announcement
Editorial
Articles
Marta Emilia Bielinska, Andrew Pinsent
Two Competing Interpretations of the Supernatural Life
pp. 269-280 (12)
Book Reviews
Armin Grunwald
Anna Puzio. Über-Menschen: Philosophische Auseinandersetzung mit der Anthropologie des Transhumanismus
pp. 281-286 (6)
Svenja Nordholt
Bethany Sollereder and Alister McGrath, eds. Emerging Voices in Science and Theology: Contributions by Young Women
pp. 286-290 (5)
Atle Ottesen Søvik
All Volumes
Editors
Editors
Andrew Davison is Starbridge Associate Professor in Theology and Natural Sciences and Fellow in Theology and Dean of Chapel, Corpus Christi College in Cambridge,UK.
Dirk Evers is Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.
Michael Spezio is Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Scripps College in Claremont, CA.
Associate Editors
Conor Cunningham is Co-Director of the Centre of Theology and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham, UK.
David Fergusson is Professor of Divinity and Principal at the New College in Edinburgh, UK.
Agustín Fuentes is Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University, USA.
Peter Harrison is Research Professor and Director of the Centre of the History of European Discourses at the University of Queensland, Australia.
Kristian Köchy is Professor of Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Kassel, Germany.
Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, USA.
Robert J. Russell is Director of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS), and the Ian G. Barbour Professor of Theology and Science at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, USA.
Mikael Stenmark is Professor of Philosophy of Religion at the University of Uppsala, Sweden.
Günter Thomas is Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Bochum, Germany.
Wesley Wildman is Professor of Theology and Ethics at Boston University, USA.
Gayle E. Woloschak is Professor of Radiology and Cell and Molecular Biology, Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA.
Editorial Manifesto
1. This journal will provide a new platform for constructive and critical interactions between the natural sciences in all their varieties (from physics and biology to psychology, anthropology and social science) and the fields of contemporary philosophy and theology.
The editors are well aware that such an enterprise takes place in an academic context shaped by a long history of antecedents as well as by present-day conflicts of interpretation. Theology and the natural sciences have hardly ever existed in complete separation from each other. The history of their relation is characterized by deep tensions, but also by mutual inspiration and cross-fertilization. The natural sciences have shaped the world view of secular societies and have contributed to what the German sociologist Max Weber has called the "disenchantment of the World" (Entzauberung der Welt). By this he means the fundamental conviction that the world of nature is free of mysterious forces and that everything in our world can – in principle – be mastered by means of empirical studies, mathematical calculation, and laws of nature. Still, religious convictions persist and provide a vital force in the life of many, challenging the secularization thesis that supposed religious conviction would disappear in modern societies. Since both science and religion have a deep and continuing influence on modern societies, critical reflection on their mutual relationship, their differences and common interests, is a crucial prerequisite for understanding both of them, as well as the central cultural developments of our day.
At the beginning of the 21st century we are also witnessing ongoing specialization and differentiation within the natural sciences. New disciplines are being established which transcend the traditional distinction between the sciences and the humanities. Individuals working in such fields as evolutionary theory, sociobiology, neurology, and cognitive science claim to be able to handle core topics in the human and social sciences such as consciousness, the emotions, and societal formation and to interpret them according to the methodology of the empirical sciences.
Theology as a self-reflective form of religious thought must explicate religious notions in a world that is deeply influenced by scientific world views. It reflects upon religious convictions against the background of the scientific understanding of truth. Theology acts to its own detriment when it ignores the significance of the empirical sciences.
Both science and theology need philosophy to perform the bridging function, lest their "dialogue" deteriorate into mere equivocation, as too frequently happens in practice. In addition, the fields of philosophy of science and philosophy of religion often present new challenges to the self-understanding of science as well as to views taken for granted within theology. Hence the three indispensable foci reflected in the title of this journal.
2. Future issues of this journal will identify relevant areas of common research and reflection. We do not presuppose any particular answer or scenario, either of consonance or of conflict, between science, philosophy and theology. What we are indeed convinced of, however, is the indispensability of ongoing dialogue. As they seek to defend their methods and conclusions, scientists, philosophers and theologians are obliged to engage in rational discourse and the quest for the best possible arguments. All three disciplines share the common interest to make sense of reality from within our finite, human perspective. "We all must start in the middle," whether one starts in the laboratory, rational intuitions and phenomenology, or categories of revelation and religious experience.
We are convinced that the dialogue between the sciences, philosophy, and theology does not take place in a static, timeless realm of absolute truth. Instead, it involves a common striving towards shared meaning and understanding. Truth or truths become relevant as they connect with particular questions, particular practices, and particular interests, including, for example, the technological developments of scientific ideas and the liturgical and practical expressions of religious belief. Symbolic systems in science, just as in philosophy and theology, do not have only referential but also explanatory and interpretative functions. Signs always mean something to someone in a certain context. Thus to reflect philosophically on the cultural and historical conditions of both science and theology is a necessary component in understanding the semantics of both science and religion.
3. The main task of this journal is therefore to provide a common platform for dialogue according to rigorous academic standards, yet one that remains open and attentive to the full range of types of scientific and theological discourse. The Journal Philosophy, Theology and the Sciences (PTSc) will provide a forum for asking and analyzing meta-scientific questions (sometimes referred to as "the big questions"), that arise at the intersection of these three disciplines, questions for which there is often no space in the everyday work of scholarly research. Articles will bring together real science and real theology, not lazy stereotypes or straw-man constructs that are invented merely to be knocked down by simplistic arguments. Authors will avail themselves of the best available philosophy to stimulate and in order to mediate the dialogue and to offer critical perspectives on scientific and theological contributions.
We therefore invite all scholars, religious or non-religious, to participate in the endeavor. This forum invites intellectual exploration and risk-taking, controlled by academic rigor and the force of the better argument. It provides the rare opportunity to get to know the truth-claims, the meaning and methods, of a range of different disciplines that inquire into common questions. It encourages analyzing the relevant phenomena not from afar but from the inside out.
Although this journal is Europe-based, it is not meant to be a Europe-biased forum. Four editors and a board of experts from different countries, disciplines, and backgrounds are responsible for preserving its range of subjects, its range of scientific and cultural diversity, and the quality of its articles.
Each volume will consist of two issues a year, each of approx. 130 pages in length. It will include an editorial, three to five main articles, and book reviews. All articles and contributions that exceed 8 pages in length will be double-blind peer-reviewed. All articles and contributions will be in English.
During the first two years every issue will be devoted to a specific theme and will be compiled by one of the four editors. Articles for these opening issues will be specially commissioned. The topics for the Journal’s first four issues will be "Naturalism" (Niels Henrik Gregersen), "Human Nature and Evolution" (Celia Deane-Drummond), "Neuroscience and Morality" (Gregory Peterson), "Contingency" (Dirk Evers).
Celia Deane-Drummond
Dirk Evers
Niels Henrik Gregersen
Gregory Peterson
Manuscripts
Please send manuscripts and editorial inquiries to the managing editor
Professor Dr. Dirk Evers
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Theologische Fakultät
Franckeplatz 1
06110 Halle (Saale)
Germany
E-mail: editor-ptsc@mohrsiebeck.com
Please send all book review proposals to the book review editor:
Felix Stütz
Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg
Theologische Fakultät
Franckeplatz 1
06110 Halle (Saale)
Germany
E-mail: editor-ptsc@mohrsiebeck.com
PTSc will publish only invited articles. Submission of a paper will be held to imply that it contains original unpublished work and is not being submitted for publication elsewhere. All articles are refereed by specialists.
Exclusive copyright to articles is granted to Mohr Siebeck when they are accepted for publication in our journals and edited volumes. Mohr Siebeck has the exclusive right to reproduce and distribute the contribution as well as to make it publicly accessible online. As author you retain the right to distribute the e-offprint of your contribution for private use (e.g. via e-mail), but not to make it accessible to the public - e.g. at any website, intranet or repository.
For articles in journals, exclusivity falls away one year following publication, for chapters in edited volumes after two years. Correspondingly, you may then (a) reproduce and distribute a print version of your contribution; (b) grant another publisher non-exclusive permission to reprint an article following its publication with us; (c) make the print identical version accessible online for non-commercial purposes only. In all cases, full reference is to be made to the original Mohr Siebeck publication and, for journal contributions where applicable, mention made of the article's DOI (Digital Object Identifier).
Please do not send any unsolicited review copies. The publisher and the editors reserve the right to keep unsolicited books.
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Price information
Volume 10 (2023)
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The articles in PTSc are available online to institutions and private persons, starting with volume 1 (2014). Online access can be obtained through our eLibrary.
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