Religion and Ethics

European Enlightenment philosophers paved the way for the idea that ethics should be entirely autonomous from religion. Many began to believe that religion would wither away completely. Religion, however, has not disappeared from the world: for example, Islam and Christianity are growing religions today, and the influence of religion on various spheres of life has again become more evident than perhaps even in the late 20th century.

The researchers on the Religion and Ethics track focus on various issues related to the intertwined existence of religion and ethics, especially in Modern and Late-Modern paradigms of thought.  Attention will be called to diverse explanations of how religious beliefs and practices have influenced individual and social values, what kinds of normative models about religion and ethics have been put forward, and how religious ethical ideas have transformed over the past few centuries and decades. Topical issues can also be faced head on: this study track calls for bold discussion of what is currently happening in the field of religion and ethics in our turbulent world.

Experts: Ville Päivänsalo, Mari Stenlund, Kaisa Iso-Herttua, Toni Koivulahti