Academic Activities

Challenges to Religious Worldviews: East-West Dialogue

(CSCS 2nd International Conference on Philosophy of Religion cum Inaugural Conference of the Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion)

Conference

[Conference Poster] Challenges to Religious Worldviews: East-West Dialogue (Inaugural Conference of ASPR)
13 AUG 2025 15 AUG 2025

Location

SWT 501 (Council Chamber), Shaw Tower, Shaw Campus, Hong Kong Baptist University

Keynote Speakers

Dean Zimmerman (Rutgers University), Eleonore Stump (Saint Louis University) (via Zoom) , and Yong Huang (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)

Host

Organizer: Centre for Sino-Christian Studies, Co-organizer: Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion

Language

English

Challenges to Religious Worldviews: East-West Dialogue
CSCS 2nd International Conference on Philosophy of Religion cum Inaugural Conference of the Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion

Dates: 13–15 August 2025
Location: SWT 501 (Council Chamber), Shaw Tower, Shaw Campus, Hong Kong Baptist University

**Please note that the Call for Papers period has now concluded. We extend our gratitude to all who submitted their proposals.**

YouTube Livestream:
https://www.youtube.com/live/_9arXNy-QkQ?si=higapKyqhZtLR-VW
Registration as General Participants

**The Full Paper/ Abstract will be available by August 11, 2025**

 
13 August 2025 (Wed)
**For full conference schedule details, please visit HERE. **
9:00 - 9:30Opening Ceremony 
9:45 - 11:15

*Keynote Speech 1- 

"The Fundamentality of the Mental and the Afterlife"

*Prof. Dean ZIMMERMAN

Distinguished Professor, Philosophy, Rutgers University; and Co-Director of the Rutgers Center for Philosophy of Religion.

11:30 - 13:15

Session 1-

Religion and the Problem of Evil and Suffering 

(Chair: Prof. KWOK Wai Luen)

  1. Dr. CHAN Kai Yan 陳啓恩, (Former) Department of Applied Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong).
  2. Dr. Aaron SEGAL, Philosophy Department; John and Golda Cohen Chair in Jewish Philosophy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel).
  3. Rev. James Dominic Rooney, OP 倪佳道明神父, Academy of Chinese, History, Religion and Philosophy, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong).
14:30 - 16:15

Session 2-  Arguments for and against Theism

(Chair: Prof. Fr. James Dominic ROONEY)

  1. Prof. Jeremiah Joven Joaquin, Department of Philosophy, De La Salle University (The Phillipines).
  2. Dr. Tien-Chun LO 羅天均, Department of Philosophy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong). 
  3. Prof. Andrew LOKE 駱德恩, Academy of Chinese, History, Religion and Philosophy, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong).
16:30 - 18:25

Session 3-

Religion, AI & the Internet

(Chair: Prof. WONG Pak Hang)

  1. Dr. David Chi-ya CHAO 趙馳亞, Princeton Theological Seminary (USA).
  2. Dr. Jacob Chengwei FENG 馮成偉, Center for Missiological Research (CMR), Fuller Theological Seminary (USA).
  3.  Prof. Ann Gillian CHU 朱安之, and Prof. Rachel Siow ROBERTSON, Academy of Chinese, History, Religion and Philosophy, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong).
 
14 August 2025 (Thur)
**For full conference schedule details, please visit HERE. **
9:00- 10:00

Keynote Speech 2 - 

“From Toleration to Respect: A Zhuangzian 

Perspective of Interreligious Encounters”

*Prof. HUANG Yong 黃勇

Department of Philosophy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong).

10:00 - 10:40Keynote Speech Response
  1. Prof. KWAN Kai Man 關啟文, Academy of Chinese, History, Religion and Philosophy, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong).
  2. Dr. CHAN Lok Chi 陳樂知, Department of Philosophy, National Taiwan University (Taiwan).
11:00 - 12:45

Session 4 - 

Religious Experience, Humanity,

and the Ultimate Reality

(Chair: Prof. Benedict CHAN)

  1. Prof. ZHANG Xiaoxing 張小星, Department of Philosophy, Yunnan University (China).
  2. Dr. Hans VAN EYGHEN, Tilburg School of Catholic Theology, Tilburg University (Netherlands).
  3. Dr. HUNG Tsz Wan Andrew 洪子雲, Division of Social Sciences, Humanities and Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Hong Kong).
14:00 - 15:30

Session 5 - 

Afterlife, Christianity, and the Chinese Culture

(Chair: Prof. Kevin TURNER)

  1. Dr. David KWON, Theology and Religious Studies, Seattle University (USA).
  2. Dr. Jenny HUNG 洪真如, Division of Humanities, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Hong Kong).
  3. Dr. Michael LONGNECKER 龍智生, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in China (China); Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion.
15:45 - 17:30

Session 6 - 

Inter-religious Dialogue

(Chair: Prof. Andrew LOKE)

  1. Mr. Mideum HONG, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, Georgetown University (USA).
  2. Mr. HAN Qiaoyu 韓喬宇, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, The University of Tokyo (Japan).
  3. Miss Ruofei LI 李若菲, School of Foreign Languages, Renmin University of China (China). 
  4. Mr. Davide Andrea ZAPPULLI 龍晟雨, University of British Columbia (Canada).
  5. Mr. Era WANG, Department of Philosophy, Sun Yat-sen University (China).

 

15 August 2025 (Fri)
**For full conference schedule details, please visit HERE. **
9:00 - 10:30

*Keynote Speech 3 - 

"Natural Law, Metaphysics, and the Creator"

(via ZOOM)

(Chair: Rev. Prof. James Dominic ROONEY)

*Prof. Eleonore STUMP

Robert J. Henle Professor of Philosophy, Saint Louis University.

10:45 - 13:05

Session 7 - 

Challenges to Theism and Christianity

(Chair: Prof. Rachel Siow ROBERTSON)

  1. Prof. KWAN Kai Man 關啟文, Academy of Chinese, History, Religion and Philosophy, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong); Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion.
  2. Prof. XIE Aihua 謝愛華, School of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Minzu University of China (China).
  3. Dr. Taylor Grey MILLER, Department of Philosophy, Brigham Young University (USA).
  4. Dr. CHAN Lok Chi 陳樂知, Department of Philosophy, National Taiwan University (Taiwan).
14:15 - 16:00

Session 8 - 

Theism, Good and Evil

(Chair: Prof. Levi CHECKETTS)

  1. Mr. Kam-Ho CHAN 陳錦豪, Department of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Amherst (USA).
  2. Mr. Hong SOONG 宋康, Department of Philosophy, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong).
  3. Mr. Ho Yeung LEE 李浩洋, Oriel College, University of Oxford (UK).
  4. Mr. Joshua YEN 甄祖華, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Oxford (UK).
  5. Ms. Shreyoshi GROHSHRAY, The Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (USA).
16:15 - 17:30Closing Session/

 

The Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion (ASPR) is a philosophical society formed by philosophers of religion who are based in Asia, with the aim to promote the development of philosophy of religion in Asia and its exchange with the rest of the world. The society is delighted to announce its inaugural conference, which will take place on 13–15 August 2025  at Hong Kong Baptist University.

The conference theme, “Challenges to Religious Worldviews: East-West Dialogue,” aims to address pressing questions, both philosophical and/or social, facing religious worldviews today. Drawing on insights from both contemporary analytic philosophy and the diverse cultural and religious traditions of Asia, we seek to facilitate new grounds of academic reflection and exchange that will uniquely contribute to the global philosophy of religion.

For those whose papers are accepted, their meals and lodging during the conference period in Hong Kong will be covered by the organizers.

Conference Sub-Themes

We invite submissions related to the main theme of the conference, including but not limited to the following sub-themes:

  1. AI and Religious Worldviews
  2. Evil and Hiddenness in Global Philosophy of Religion
  3. Afterlife in Global Philosophy of Religion
  4. The Nature of Ultimate Reality in Eastern and Western Cultures
  5. Buddhism and Nominalism
  6. Dialogue between Confucianism and Christianity
  7. Daoism, Nature, and Religious Worldviews
  8. Science, Rationality, and Religious Worldviews
  9. Ethics and Religion in Eastern and Western Cultures
  10. Analytic Philosophy of Religion in AI and Analytic Theology in Asia
  11. Others

The conference will feature three distinguished keynote speakers:

  • Dean Zimmerman (Rutgers University)
  • Eleonore Stump (Saint Louis University) (via Zoom)
  • Yong Huang (The Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Submission requirements:
  • A basic short abstract of 100 words
  • An extended abstract of 800–1000 words (excluding references)
  • Optional: A full draft or a published copy
  • **Deadline: 31 March 2025**

Abstracts will be reviewed by the program committee, and selected presenters will be notified by 30 April 2025. For those whose abstracts are accepted, please also provide a full paper by 1 July 2025.

Contact Information

For further details about the conference or the Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion, please contact us at aspr.1107.24@gmail.com.

About the Society

ASPR was founded with the mission to:

  • To facilitate and promote research endeavors in the philosophy of religion within the Asian context, as well as exploring associated topics in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, logic, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and related fields.
  • To enhance dialogues between contemporary analytic philosophers of religion and the rich traditions of Asian cultures and religions, aiming to deepen mutual understanding and insight.
  • To establish and forge connections (i) among Asian philosophical communities and scholars with a shared interest in these thematic domains, and (ii) between Asian and international scholars working in these areas, thereby nurturing a robust network of academic collaboration and exchange.
Founding Members
  • Prof. Kai Man KWAN (Hong Kong Baptist University - President)
  • Dr. Andrew LOKE (Hong Kong Baptist University- Vice-president)
  • Dr. Lok-Chi CHAN (National Taiwan University - Vice-president)
  • Dr. Tien-Chun LO (Chinese University of Hong Kong - Secretary)
  • Dr. Andrew BRENNER (Hong Kong Baptist University)
  • Dr. Natalja DENG (Yonsei University, South Korea)
  • Dr. Duen-Min DENG (National Taiwan University)
  • Prof. JJ JOAQUIN (De La Salle University, Philippines)
  • Dr. Kengo MIYAZONO (Hokkaido University, Japan)
  • Rev. Dr. James Dominic ROONEY (Hong Kong Baptist University)
  • Dr. Michael LONGENECKER (Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, China)
  • Prof. Aihua XIE (Minzu University of China, China)
  • Prof. Xiaofei Liu (Wuhan University, China)
Advisors
  • Prof. Yujin NAGASAWA (University of Oklahoma)
  • Prof. Graham OPPY (Monash University)
  • Prof. Eleonore STUMP (Saint Louis University)
  • Prof. Richard SWINBURNE (University of Oxford)
  • Prof. Dean ZIMMERMAN (Rutgers University)
Organizer:
  • Centre for Sino-Christian Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University
Co-organizer:
  • Asian Society for Philosophy of Religion
Sponsored by:
  • Center for Traditional and Scientific Metaphysics, National Taiwan University
  • Angelicum Thomistic Institute
  • Society of Christian Philosophers