Notre Dame Professor to Deliver Keynote Address at Philosophy of Religion Conference

February 15, 2007

by Jodi Cunningham, student newswriter, (254) 710-1961

Dr. Peter van Inwagen will deliver the keynote address at the Annual Philosophy of Religion Conference at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, in room 510 of the Cashion Academic Center on the Baylor University campus. The keynote address is titled "What Does an Omniscient Being Know about the Future?" and is open to the public.

Van Inwagen is the John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and received his bachelor of science degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1965 and his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Rochester in 1969. He has delivered several prestigious lectures including the Maurice Lectures at King's College, the Wilde Lectures on natural religion at Oxford University, the Stewart Lectures at Princeton University and the Gifford Lectures at St. Andrews University.

In addition, van Inwagen is the author of numerous publications about metaphysics and philosophical theology. His most recent publications include Ontology, Identity, and Modality (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy) and The Problem of Evil: The Gifford Lectures Delivered in the University of St. Andrews in 2003.

Van Inwagen's keynote address is part of the Annual Philosophy of Religion Conference, a small, research-oriented workshop that will take place Feb. 22-24 on the Baylor campus. This year's conference was organized by Dr. Jonathan L. Kvanvig, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Baylor.

"It is always a privilege for Baylor to host some of the smartest and most thoughtful people in the world, and van Inwagen is certainly in that group," said Kvanvig. "Beyond the impressiveness of the speaker, however, is the significance of the topic for a university committed to [Baylor] 2012. To have a Christian faith informed by a deep respect for the life of the mind is crucial to that plan."

While the conference will feature several other presentations and panel discussions on topics, such as God's attributes and the problem of evil, these sessions are closed to the public and only available to registered conference attendees. Due to maximum interest levels, no remaining conference spots are available.

For more information on the keynote address or the annual Philosophy of Religion Conference, contact Bradley Brummeler at Brad_Brummeler@baylor.edu.