The purpose of this stream is to gather academics and students in philosophy to explore key issues of their field in light of the Baha'i teachings and the accumulating experience of the community. In particular, the session will focus on enduring philosophical questions related to relativism, knowledge, and truth. What is it that distinguishes knowledge, or justified belief, from mere opinion or subjective perspectives? How do features of contemporary Baha'i community life (e.g., operating in a learning mode of action, reflection, and consultation) shed light on the meaning of truth, knowledge, and relativism in practical contexts? The session will be divided into two panel sessions. The first panel will explore questions of knowledge, relativism, and truth from a historical perspective. The second panel will consider a range of practical questions emerging from more contemporary manifestations of the problem of relativism.
The purpose of this stream is to gather academics and students in the field of political science. The session will comprise panel discussions on concepts of power, political agency, and democratic deliberation in political science. These presentations will inform a collective exploration of our experience as political scientists aiming to contribute insights from the Revelation to the prevalent discourses of the discipline. What are some strands of political science discourse that are especially promising and receptive to ideas drawn from the Faith? What are we learning about making meaningful contributions to these areas? How are we learning to navigate especially fraught or challenging conversations in the field? We will also reflect on our experience participating in a range of spaces where thinking evolves in the field, e.g., conferences, publications, the classroom.
This session is for researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, and professionals working in the fields of sociology and anthropology. A major theme in the fields of sociology and anthropology is the relationship between human agency and social structure. Key issues associated with this theme include the degree to which human behavior is shaped by and influences community and culture, how both interact with organizational structures, and how the dynamic relationships between the individual, the community, and the institutions—these “three protagonists” of society—foster or hamper well-being and human flourishing. According to the Universal House of Justice (28 December 2010), “a new conception of each [protagonist], appropriate for a humanity that has come of age, is emerging.” Moreover: “The relationships that bind them, too, are undergoing a profound transformation.” In view of these developments, this session will explore questions such as: What are the implications of these new conceptions for sociological and anthropological research? What assumptions and insights from the Revelation and the social sciences – such as those concerning human nature, power, normality and deviance, and gender – are most conducive to investigating the nature of the relationships between the three protagonists? In what ways does the harmony of science and religion influence our readings of social reality?
