Call for Papers | Current Topics in Analytic Philosophy of Religion

The birth of the Analytic Philosophy of Religion can conventionally be traced back to 1955, the publication date of “New Essays on Philosophical Theology”, edited by Anthony Flew and Alasdair MacIntyre. However, the neo-positivist epistemological criteria adopted by this approach soon entered into crisis, and philosophy of religion, whose very existence was questioned, experienced a new season. Following certain turning points that characterised Analytic Philosophy itself, the 1960s saw a study of the ontological argument; then the philosophy of religion experienced in the 1970s a linguistic turn and, subsequently, in the 1990s, an epistemological turn. The ontological and metaphysical discussions, the importance of realism and a new sensitivity towards the history of philosophy (e.g. the questioning of modern attempts to undermine any project of philosophical theology and the rise of Analytic Thomism) have contributed, finally, to a rebirth of philosophical reflection on theism. The public role of religions in the new cultural context of the 21st century and a growing interest in different religious traditions have further broadened the topics considered by analytic philosophers of religion. These circumstances have created an extremely diverse landscape, with the risk of excessive fragmentation. Mapping the current situation urgently raises certain questions: what are the main fields of Analytic Philosophy of Religion? What do they deal with? Which authors do they refer to?