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Religion at the Edge New Questions in Philosophy of Religion - Call for Abstracts - Center for Process Studies and Claremont School of Theology Conference - December 5, 2026

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS | Religion at the Edge: New Questions in Philosophy of Religion

A Collaboration between Claremont School of Theology and the Center for Process Studies

What new questions emerge for philosophy of religion when established assumptions about humanity, reality, knowledge, religious belonging, and the future no longer hold? How can scholarship advance worthy projects for our future survivorship and thriving? Does religion have new relevancy in an area of climate crisis, machine learning/AI, and increased global socioeconomic living pressures? What voices have been historically excluded in the Philosophy of Religion, and what moral duty, if any, do we have to include them?

We are interested in presentations that engage with any of the following (a non-exhaustive list):

The Human and More-Than-Human

Ensoulment, enhancement, immortality, machine learning/AI, animal futures, disability and body fascism, transhumanism, trans rights, queer ecologies, and consciousness

The Changing Role of Religion

Religious nones, the rise of “spiritual but not religious”, multiple belongings, digital religion, decolonizing the philosophy of religion, pluralism vs inclusivism, secularism

Planet / Cosmos

Climate change, mass and species extinctions, ecological civilization, capitalist intensifications, extraterrestrial life, multiverse

Knowledge / Reality

Simulation theory, psychedelics, neuroscience, deepfakes, misinformation, simulation theory, digital religious experience, deep ecology

Future / Meaning

Religion and resilience/solidarity, hope, catastrophe, future generations, utopia, Afrofuturism, technological salvation and peril

About the Author(s)

Wm. Andrew Schwartz

Dr. Wm. Andrew Schwartz is a scholar, educator, and activist working at the intersection of process philosophy, ecological civilization, and global cross-cultural engagement. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Center for Process Studies (CPS), Co-Founder & Vice President of the Institute for Ecological Civilization (EcoCiv), and Associate Professor of Process Studies and Comparative Philosophy at Claremont School of Theology (CST). His research and teaching covers a wide range of topics, such as environmental philosophy, philosophy of religion, Asian and comparative philosophies, metaphysics, economic philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of education, and more. However, his current work mainly focuses the application of process philosophy in understanding reality, understanding humanity, and understanding how best to organize systems of society for ecological civilization. He is author/editor of 7 books, including What is Ecological Civilization (2019) and The Metaphysics of Paradox (2018). Most recently, he spent the 2025–26 academic year in China as Visiting Associate Professor at Beijing Normal–Hong Kong Baptist University (BNBU) in Zhuhai, China. As Executive Director, Andrew has overall strategic and operational responsibility for CPS, including development and implementation of the CPS mission, programs, and strategic vision.