ISSEI OPORTO, 2014

Workshop: Split and convergence of Religion and Philosophy in three

Mediterranean cultures.
Chair: Jacinto Choza, University of Seville and Maurizio Pagano, University Amadeo
Avogadro, Vercelli.

Philosophy and Religion has been working together in the beginning of religious and
philosophical thought in the realm of Judaism with Filo of Alexandria, in the realm of
Christianity with Justin and the Ephesian Council, and in the realm of Muslims with Ibn
Hazam of Cordova and the first Persian thinkers. The split between philosophy and
religion happened in the Muslim realm after Averroes, and in Jew and Christianity
thought at the end of the European medieval age.
In the European 20th century from Rosenzweig and Buber the Jew thought focused on
religious problems. The Christian thought pay attention, in Europe, on religion after the
crisis of Modernity. And Muslim thought focused on legal, social and political problems
according to Muhammad doctrine in the 20th century in order to cope with the
challenges of modernization of Muslim world.
In the European and global world in which it happens a convergence between religion
and philosophy the thought ought take in the role of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in
this new state of humankind.


It is possible a civil religion in Europe and Christian world? It is possible in Jew and
Muslim world? It is possible an interreligious dialogue as religion in Europe?
It is possible to get this interreligious dialogue by dropping of the methodological
atheism widespread with the modern thought?
Which is the role of philosophy and of religion in the task of setting up an interreligious
dialogue for the global world?
Which is the role of religion in relationship among all European countries?
Which role has been played and can be played by mystical and by philosophers in the
convergence of religion and philosophy?


Workshop: Neolithic categories and Aristotelian categories.
Chair: Jacinto Choza, University of Seville and Juan Jos Padial, University of Mlaga

The nine Aristotelian categories as are described in the book of Categories could be
depending of some practices, social organizations, which began in the Neolithic period.
This practices and kinds of social organizations are determining by: the use of the stone,
the sedentary lifestyle of communities, the emergence of real state, the
grammaticalization needed to megalithic constructions, the quantitative organization of
time needed to coordinate the work of many people. These practices lead to the
formation and definition of the category of substance, quantum, ubi and time, and the
determination of time after quantum. The Paleolithic mind is not an alogic one as Levy-
Bruhl has said in the thirties, and maybe it uses binary combinations as Levy Strauss
has said in the sixties. Probably it is tamed by writing as said Goody in the eighties.
This problem could be clarified by showing the formation of Aristotelian categories as
categories of the Neolithic way of life.

The fundamental category of Paleolithic could be this one of fluid and that of the
Neolithic this one of standing up, i.e., substance?
It can be said that Paleolithic time is a qualitative one and that the Neolithic time is a
quantitative one?
The category of substance and of quantitative time has something to do with the birth of
cities and writing?


Workshop: Three Religions of Mediterranean in the new configuration of Europe
Chair: Ana Salto, University of Mlaga and Juan Jos Padial, University of Mlaga

Europe has been configured on the basis of Christianity and Judaism, and on the basis
of the expulsion of Islam. From 21th century on Europe cannot be defined by its
rejection of Islam. Not only by the Islamic population that grows and lives in Europe,
and not only because of the big amount of Islamic elements that are unwarned in
European culture, but above all because if Europe and West must give to the world an
example of interreligious dialogue as the only way for a peaceful world, Europe and the
whole America should show how it is possible to construct a society making of
Muslims, Jews and Christians. This, not achieve in past times, must be achieved in
future.

How many dogmatic elements the Three Cultures of Mediterranean can share?
How many liturgical elements the Three Cultures of Mediterranean can share?
How many legal elements the Three Cultures of Mediterranean can share?
How many moral elements the Three Cultures of Mediterranean can share?
How many mystical elements the Three Cultures of Mediterranean can share?


Guidelines for Chairs:
1. The Chair will promote the workshop in collaboration with the ISSEI central
office.
2. Workshops with 8-10 participants will be held in a single 4-hour session (with a
30- minute coffee-break). Workshops with more than 8-10 participants will be
conducted in two sessions.
3. Papers are to be presented rather than read. A presentation will be 20 minutes
long.
4. Papers should not exceed 3,000 words, or 10 double-spaced pages, including
Notes. (Notes are to be included in the papers submitted to the Conference
Proceedings).
5. The Chair should send copies of the abstracts to all participants in his/her
workshop so that they may have some idea of the various themes and thus be
better prepared to take part in the discussions.
6. Chairs are responsible for selecting and editing the papers recommended for
publication in the Proceedings.
7. Workshop chairs may present a paper in their own and/or in other workshops
Conference Co-Chairs:

Yolanda Espia
School of Arts
Catholic University of Portugal
Porto Regional Center
Diogo Botelho, 1327
4169-005 Porto, Portugal
Email: yespina@porto.ucp.pt

Ezra Talmor
Kibbutz Nachshonim
D.N. Merkaz, 73190
Israel
Tel: +972-3-938-6445
Fax: +972-3-761-7778
Email: ISSEI@nachshonim.org.il