Faith and Global Engagement Public Lecture

The Revelatory Imagination:
Thought Experiments and the Pluralist Turn

2025-05-15 15:002025-05-15 16:30Asia/Hong_KongThe Revelatory Imagination:
Thought Experiments and the Pluralist Turn

The Revelatory Imagination:

Thought Experiments and the Pluralist Turn

 

Speaker:

Prof. Yiftach Fehige

University of Toronto

 

Date:            Thursday, May 15, 2025

Time:            15:00 – 14:30

Venue:          Room 201, 2/F, May Hall, HKU

Register:        https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VFAHlIc2uYW9ro

    2025-05-15 15:002025-05-15 16:30Asia/Hong_KongThe Revelatory Imagination:
    Thought Experiments and the Pluralist Turn

    The Revelatory Imagination:

    Thought Experiments and the Pluralist Turn

     

    Speaker:

    Prof. Yiftach Fehige

    University of Toronto

     

    Date:            Thursday, May 15, 2025

    Time:            15:00 – 14:30

    Venue:          Room 201, 2/F, May Hall, HKU

    Register:        https://hku.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3VFAHlIc2uYW9ro

      Overview

      Title:

      The Revelatory Imagination:
      Thought Experiments and the Pluralist Turn

      Speaker:

      Prof. Yiftach Fehige
      University of Toronto

      Date/Time:

      Thursday, May 15, 2025, 15:00 – 16:30

      Venue:

      Room 201, 2/F, May Hall, The University of Hong Kong (Map)

      Language:

      English

      Title:

      The Revelatory Imagination:
      Thought Experiments and the Pluralist Turn

      Speaker:

      Prof. Yiftach Fehige
      University of Toronto

      Date/Time:

      Thursday, May 15, 2025, 15:00 – 16:30

      Venue:

      Room 201, 2/F, May Hall, The University of Hong Kong (Map)

      Language:

      English

      Enquiry:

      Abstract

      This talk explores the imagination as a mode of divine revelation and argues that thought experiments – commonly associated with the natural sciences – possess deep theological significance.  Prof. Fehige proposes that revelation does not merely accommodate the imagination but advances through it.  This claim forms part of a broader response to the pluralist turn in the history and philosophy of science, which calls on theology to reconsider its own epistemic frameworks.  By re-framing thought experiments in pluralist terms, a constructive theology of revelation is offered that embraces epistemic diversity and affirms the cognitive significance of the imagination.  This approach not only bridges disciplinary boundaries but also invites a renewed understanding of how theology might respond more faithfully to the complexities of a pluralist world.

       

      ABOUT THE SPEAKER

      Professor Yiftach Fehige holds Ph.D. degrees in both philosophy (2004) and theology (2011), and holds a B.Sc. In physics (1998).  He has been a core faculty member at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IHPST) at the University of Toronto since 2007.  His work primarily explores the evolving landscape of science and religion, particularly at the intersection of Eastern and Western perspectives, a featured in his edited volume Science and Religion: East and West (2016) and his latest monograph Thought Experiments, Science, and Theology (2023).

       

      Organizer

      Faith and Global Engagement

      Co-organizer

      ASIAR Research Cluster, HKIHSS

      POSTER