21st European Conference on Science and Theology (ECST XXI)

 

Leeds, UK

 

19 - 22 August 2026

 

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Lost in Translation? Celebrating Language Diversity in Science and Religion

Exploring how diverse languages shape understanding in science and religion, fostering deeper dialogue, inclusivity, and cultural appreciation worldwide.

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“We dissect nature along the lines laid down by our native languages. Language is not simply a reporting device for experience but a defining framework for it.”

—Benjamin Lee Whorf

 

„Wenn ein Löwe sprechen könnte, wir könnten ihn nicht verstehen“ 

—Ludwig Wittgenstein

 

“Il existe une beauté particulière qui naît dans le language, du language et pour le language,”

—Gaston Bachleard

 

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος.

—John 1:1

 

These quotes each testify to the power of language, including the power to shape scientific and religious endeavors. Yet, the human experience of language has never been uniform or monolingual—there have always been a diversity of languages and forms of communication, which create distinct opportunities and challenges for the sciences, theologies, and the interaction between them. Likewise, there are many sciences and religious traditions, each of which adds its own ‘language’, vocabulary and syntax to the dialogue. And while the science-religion dialogue has explored many models of relationship, the two-languages metaphor has rarely been developed.

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Many questions arise for the study of science and religion. For one, to what degree is our discipline a study of differing kinds of ‘language’ which might or might not be translatable backwards and forwards? More pointedly, the field of science and religion has long been dominated by English. In what ways does the use of English as the lingua franca of some areas of academic discourse pre-determine the kinds of questions and solutions that can be asked and offered? How does the science-religion discourse change when conducted in other languages? And how might we overcome these linguistic limitations in future conferences and publications, without isolating ourselves into linguistic silos? What are the benefits and limitations of linguistic metaphors for understanding interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration?

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In 2026, celebrating and protecting language diversity is an urgent task. Across the globe, humans speak about 7,000 distinct (and mutually unintelligible) languages, and yet 50-90% may die out by the end of the century! Europe, which contains 24 official languages and 60 more minority languages and dialectics, is not immune to this threat. Since 2000, Lachoudish, East Sutherland Gaelic, Cromarty, Ludza, and Akkala Sami have gone extinct. Many other European languages are increasingly vulnerable or endangered (e.g., Basque, Breton, Cornish, Sorbian, Faroese, Romani, and Yiddish). This crisis raises new questions for science-religion scholars: What is the role of the sciences and different theological traditions in promoting monolingualism? What are the costs of language-death to scientific and religious communities? How might science and religion counteract this tragic trajectory, and instead preserve linguistic diversity?

 

The topic of linguistic diversity is also timely for at least three further reasons. (1) The acceleration of artificial intelligence and the wide-spread use of Large Language Models promises to revolutionize how humans use language and experience linguistic diversity. (2) Ever increasing discoveries in animal communication and the increasing possibility of symbolic communication with other species offers a new frontier for linguistic diversity. (3) The rise of the ‘neurodiversity’ paradigm offers a new way to celebrate diversity within monolinguistic communities, as we discover the potential advantages of dyslexic, autistic, aphasic, and deaf communication. What can theological reflection offer to these societal changes and scientific discoveries? What can religious traditions learn?

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The European Society for the Study of Science and Theology (ESSSAT) and friends will gather in Leeds, UK, from 19-22nd August 2026 to explore together how language diversity both within and beyond human communities shapes our world.

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Indicative List of Possible Topics:

• The impact that communicating in a particular language has upon religious and/or scientific concepts and worldviews

• The importance and challenge of promoting multilingualism in religious and scientific communities

• The impact of technology and artificial intelligence upon language learning and diversity

• Theological engagement with discoveries in animal communication

• The impact of the dominance of English upon the field of science-and-religion, and ways of understanding science and religion in other languages

• The impact of neurodiverse forms of communication within scientific and/or religious communities

• The way that religious and/or scientific expertise teaches people to use language in unusual ways, and the potential impact of this.

• The role of either religion or science in enforcing monolingualism and/or promoting linguistic diversity

• The use of characteristically religious language and terminology in science communication

• The extent to which the sciences and theologies should be conceived of as two different ‘languages’

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We invite short interdisciplinary papers that bring the theme of language into dialogue with any aspect of science and theology. Papers on other aspects of the interaction between theology, the natural sciences, the arts & humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences may also be offered.

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We invite everybody, from within and outside the ESSSAT community, to join our exchange of ideas and contribute to our discussions and paper sessions. ESSSAT also welcomes proposals for sponsored panels.

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To submit a short paper proposal please email the following information to the Scientific Programme Officer before 31st January 2026.

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• Title of your paper

• 5-10 keywords

• An outline of 300-500 words, making clear the relevance of the paper to the theme of the conference or other aspects of the interaction between science and theology

• Your full name and academic post/institutional affiliation (if any)

 

This single-sided document must be sent in either doc- or pdf-file format. No other format will be accepted. In line with the theme of language diversity, and given the power of AI translation tools, ESSSAT will also accept papers in other languages besides English. However, the papers should be presented in English, unless agreed on beforehand with ESSSAT.

 

Information about the acceptance of a paper will be given in February 2024 together with guidelines for the paper and its presentation at the conference. Complete short papers (max. 2,500 words) must be received by 30 June 2026 to allow for pre-reading. At the conference, you are expected to summarize (not read) your short paper in order to give more time for Q&A/discussion. Papers and the short paper session schedule will be made available for pre-reading to registered participants and members of ESSSAT. If you want your paper to be presented in the same session as another paper, please indicate which paper in the email when submitting your abstract.

 

Scientific Programme Officer: Dr Rope Kojonen. Email: euscienceandtheology@gmail.com