Conference "Religion, Nature, and Progress"

The ISSRNC is an interdisciplinary, international society that promotes critical inquiry into the relationships among human beings and their diverse environments, cultures, and religions. The Third International Conference of the International Society for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture is devoted to the topic "Religion, Nature, and Progress." The conference will be held 23-26 July 2009 at the University of Amsterdam. From the large program, many papers address issues of Western esotericism dirctly, such as the following: - William R. Newman, Indiana University (USA): "Isaac Newton and the Perfecting of Nature" (keynote lecture) - Nina Witoszek, University of Oslo (Norway): "Leonardo da Vinci Our Contemporary? The 'Other' Renaissance and Its Views on Religion and Progress" (keynote lecture) - Egil Asprem, University of Amsterdam (Netherlands): "Utopia and the Paranormal: Degeneration and Progress in the Parapsychology of William McDougall and J. B. Rhine" - Patrick Curry, University of Kent (UK): "Enchantment and the Paradox of Progress" - Michael York, Bath Spa University (UK): "Full of Sound and Fury; Signifying Nothing: Earth Religion and the Experiential" - Colin Campbell, York University (UK): "The Easternization of the West and the Rehabilitation of Nature" (keynote lecture) - Graham Harvey, Open University (UK): "Progressive Animism: Sustaining Diversity among the Co-Creators of the World" (keynote lecture) - Eric Katz, New Jersey Institute of Technology (USA): "The Paradox of Pro-gress: Domination and Autonomy" (keynote lecture) The complete Conference Book (with introduction, paper abstracts, maps, etc.) will be available online on Friday, 17 July. Online registration for the conference is open until 21 July 2009, either for the entire conference or for a single day.