ICS hosted an international conference on the Enlightenment's legacy on the history of religious tolerance and on ongoing discussions
Experts from 7 countries -professors at universities such as Yale, Rutgers and University College London- discussed this topic in an event organized by the Religion and Civil Society project on June 22 and 23
The Religion and Civil Society project of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) organized an international conference on ‘Religious Toleration in the Age of Enlightenment (1650-1800): Historical Perspectives on Current Debates'. It was held June 22-23, 2015.
The event focused on two main lines of research. The first is to trace the many legacies of the Enlightenment present in the prevailing discourses on religion and freedom. The second is to reconsider existing narratives about the place of the Enlightenment in the history of toleration. This approach aims to examine more critically the underlying presuppositions in recent debates about religious freedom and will contribute to a more rigorous and honest dialogue on this vital subject.
Experts from universities in Bulgaria, Chile, the United States, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom presented on topics related to religious peace, religious violence, the formation of a tolerant mentality and Islam, among others.
SpeechesOn the first day, the following presentations were scheduled: Erasmianism, Religious Peace and the Practices of Discovery in Early Modern Europe by David Harris Sacks (Reed College); The Long way to Toleration: Emeric Crucé by María José Villaverde (Universidad Complutense de Madrid); From Practice to Theory to Practice: William Penn from Prison to the Founding of Pennsylvania by Andrew Murphy (Rutgers University); A State within the State: the Inquisition in Enlightenment Thought by Juan Pablo Domínguez (Yale University); and John Owen and John Locke on Toleration and Doctrinal Minimalism by Manfred Svensson (Universidad de los Andes).
The presentations scheduled for the second day included: Religion, Toleration and Enlightenment: The Dutch case by Joris van Eijnatten (Universiteit Utrecht); Deism, Freethinking and Toleration in Enlightenment England by Diego Lucci (American University in Bulgaria); Religious Violence in the Age of Enlightenment by Benjamin Kaplan (University College London); The (Difficult) Formation of the Tolerant Mind by Péter Balázs (University of Szeged); The Dark Side of the Enlightenment by Lionel Laborie (Goldsmiths, University of London); and Islam, Toleration, and the Enlightenment by John Marshall (Johns Hopkins University). Rafael Garcia Perez, professor within the Faculty of Law and contributor to the Religion and Civil Society project, closed the conference with his conclusions.