Speculative Philosophies and Religious Practices

For the first time in the UK, a conversation has taken place between public theologians and philosophers of religion centered around the subject of speculative realism and its possible implications for the study of religious practice. Nine speakers representing both sides of the debate participated in the workshop. The attendance for the event reached 25, including academics from all around the UK (for example, University of Kent, University of Oxford, University of Durham, Liverpool Hope University, University of Manchester, Chichester University, University of Nottingham), as well as interested parties from religious communities and the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

As one might expect from an exploratory discussion, a wide range of issues emerged which will require greater focus and structure as the process moves to a further stage:

• The nature of Christian and communist collectives – can there be a vision of the ideal Christian community which has any purchase on political and ethical debate?
• New religious expressions
• The relationship between practice and theory in both disciplines and the importance of performance
• The debate about modernity, the postsecular and the post-postsecular
• The role of gender in each of the above as largely exclusive rather than inclusive
• What scope is there for a non-theological philosophy of religion given its recent contamination by theological themes?
• Disagreements with Radical Orthodoxy which has been one of the main proponents of this contamination
• What sort of realism can be defended? – critical realism; non-realism; speculative realism – and how might this relate to the tradition of Christian realism from within public theology?
• What might be meant by an “experimental metaphysics”?
• The potential value of Latour’s notion of “gatherings” and his questioning of the fact-value distinction, in terms of ethical debate
• The need for philosophy of religion to give proper attention to heresy as well as to Christian or other faith Orthodoxy
• Kenosis – concealment – fearlessness, emerged as regular themes throughout the discussions
• Lived religion – a concern for the material as distinguished from the focus on disembodied beliefs and the privilege accorded to verbalised beliefs which characterises much study of religious practice within the anthropology of religion and the philosophy of religion
• Can any of our disciplines give proper attention to the “messiness” of religious practice and expression which takes place beyond or at the edges of institutional religion?
• Anti-heroic pragmatism as an approach for both disciplines – the Knight of Faith as some sort of pointer in this direction
• Concerns for current arguments about wellbeing and the need for philosophy of religion to be more politically engaged through a critical pedagogy
• Where might the ideas of speculative realism contribute to the project of liberal democracy in a pluralist setting?
• Whether there is a form of theology and Christian practice that does not follow the path of a theological imperialism represented at the moment by Radical Orthodoxy, but is more open, creative and can draw on the developing discourses of contemporary philosophy.

There was general sense of excitement about pursuing further events together in the form of a research network. In particular, five future developments were agreed to be worth pursuing:

• A follow-up workshop in Liverpool in the Autumn building further on the common links between philosophy of religion and practical theology and structured around a more specific theme.

• A special edition of Political Theology (the January 2012 issue) based on the papers given.
• A possible event in conjunction with the Centre for Faiths and Public Policy and the University of Liverpool’s Centre for Health and the Humanities, considering the well-being agenda, spirituality and mental health. Prof. Beverley Clack’s research is clearly an important component of this future work.
• Further consideration of the need (raised by David Perfect of the Equality and Human Rights Commission) for philosophical definitions of core religious beliefs and symbols for use in religious discrimination legal cases.
• Further consideration of the role of theory of the self-understanding of religious communities, drawing in particular on Katharine Moody’s research with the emergent church movement.