Editorial – Biennial Conference in Philosophy, Religion and Culture

Abstract

The Biennial Conference in Philosophy, Religion and Culture was held at Catholic Institute of Sydney on 1 – 3 October 2010. Although this was the eighth Biennial Conference, the first being in 1996, its roots go back to 1977 and to long collaboration between the University of Newcastle and Catholic Institute of Sydney, then at Manly. It has from the beginning sought to draw academics from both universities and theological colleges into vigorous dialogue. In its present form, the Biennial Conference is hosted and given institutional support by Catholic Institute of Sydney, but is convened by a broader group of scholars. The convenors of the 2010 conference were Stephen Buckle (ACU), William Emilsen (UTC/CSU), Peter Forrest (UNE), John McDowell (Newcastle), Andrew Murray (CIS/SCD) and Shane Mackinlay (CTC/MCD). Although largely led by philosophers, the conference has from the beginning attempted to be broad both in its scope and in its participation. Each conference has had a theme designed to focus discussion on a recognisable area of interest, but also broad enough for scholars from diverse fields to participate. It has enabled philosophers, theologians, and a diverse range of scholars from the arts and occasionally the sciences to contribute to the one conference. This has led to very interesting discussions, enabling connections of thought that may not otherwise have been achieved. It has been valuable for philosophers interested in religion to talk with theologians and for theologians to speak with philosophers and those in the arts. Attendance has presumed only a serious interest in religion, good scholarship in a particular area and interest in some aspect of the theme of the current conference. The 2010 Conference took the theme ‘Creation, Nature and the Built Environment’. The theme obviously invited people in architecture, town planning and the plastic arts to join the conversation, and they did so with contributions about the nature and design of cities and even of prisons, and about the depiction of human artefacts. Philosophers and those in the arts took up the question of beauty, and the SOPHIA (2010) 49:461–462 DOI 10.1007/s11841-010-0219-z