Researchers at the University of Gävle, in collaboration with Uppsala University and the Nordic Society for Philosophy of Religion, have initiated Agatheos, a new scientific journal in the philosophy of religion. The team behind the journal includes top international researchers, and the first issue has already been published.
“We want to broaden the subject and reach a wider audience”, says Francis Jonbäck, editor-in-chief and researcher in religious studies at the University.
The new journal is open-access and is published four times per year. Both the editor-in-chief, Francis Jonbäck, and the co-editor-in-chief, Mikael Leidenhag, are affiliated with the University of Gävle.
“The goal of Agatheos is to disseminate research in the philosophy of religion, and like most scientific journals, to foster an intellectual discussion that deepens research and the subject”, says Francis Jonbäck.
The team reviewing articles before publication includes experts on all five world religions, as well as researchers focusing on worldviews that are not clearly defined as religions. Among the researchers are Janusz Salamon from Charles University in Prague, Tim Mawson and Richard Swinburne from the University of Oxford, John Schellenberg from Mount Saint Vincent University, Canada, Eleonore Stump from Saint Louis University, USA, Mikael Stenmark and Ulf Zackariasson from Uppsala University, and Peder Thalén at the University of Gävle. (A full list of contributors is available here).
“The idea is to broaden the scope of philosophy of religion to include secular worldviews. There is also research on those who wish to call themselves ‘spiritual’ but not necessarily religious, and on various forms of atheism, agnosticism, and even transhumanism. This research is very interesting and helps to rejuvenate the field, adds Mikael Leidenhag.
But the intended audience is not just researchers; the founders hope that everyone with an interest in religion and other worldviews will be part of the readership.
FACTS
“Agatheos” is Greek and means “the good god.” The word is a combination of “agathos” (good) and “theos” (god), and it is an expression that captures the idea central to many religions and possibly worldviews in general - that is, humanity’s striving for the Highest Good, which transcends our limitations. In both ancient and Koine Greek, the phrase is used in Plato's “Republic” and in the New Testament where Jesus emphasizes that only God is good. Agatheology, as described by the philosopher of religion Janusz Salamon, aims to be a global and transcultural philosophy of religion, contributing to the global ethical conversation by highlighting humanity's universal longing for the eternally good as the source of existential meaning and hope.