Call for Papers | REL-Symposium 2027: Choices and Consequences - Decision-Making Across Ethics, Religion, and Legal Thought

The REL-Symposium 2027 will be held on Friday, 19 March 2027 at Fordham University London (UK). It is convened by the REL-Project, the Religion, Ethics and Law Project, which grew out of the earlier Theology and Canon Law Project and works at the intersection of theology, ethics, philosophy and legal studies. The symposium is listed among the forthcoming events of the Society of Legal Scholars.

The theme for 2027 is Choices and Consequences: Decision-Making Across Ethics, Religion, and Legal Thought. As the call puts it, at the heart of human thought and social organisation lies the question of how we make decisions, and understanding decision-making requires insights from ethics, religious thought, history and law, from ethical dilemmas and educational policies through to AI governance and legal reasoning.

• What have philosophers and religious traditions said about practical reasoning, including concepts such as will, reason, or the role of the emotions, throughout the history of thought?
• How have historical and contemporary legal systems, both secular and religious, influenced moral, social and political decisions?
• How can insights from religious, legal and ethical traditions inform contemporary debates on justice, human dignity and the common good?
• How can applied issues such as AI governance, legal reasoning, educational policy, bioethics, environmental decision-making and professional conduct be understood through these lenses?

The symposium welcomes submissions from history, philosophy, theology, religious studies and legal studies, offering both theoretical and metaethical insights alongside applied perspectives on decision-making. The call sets no nationality or institutional restriction, so scholars based in India may submit. Early career researchers at postdoctoral stage and doctoral students are especially encouraged to participate.

• Submit an abstract of no more than 300 words.
• Abstracts go by email to symposium@rel-project.com.
• The last date for abstracts is 1 December 2026.
• Selected papers may be published in an edited volume.

The organisers state that the final conference format, either fully online or hybrid in London, is subject to a pending funding decision and will be confirmed in due course. The listed venue for the in-person leg is Fordham University London. Anyone planning travel should wait for that confirmation before booking.

The call for papers sets no fee for submitting an abstract. The organisers have not published any registration or participation charge; if one is introduced, it would follow the confirmation of the final format, so intending participants should confirm the position with the organisers at symposium@rel-project.com.

Email an abstract of up to 300 words to symposium@rel-project.com on or before 1 December 2026. Read the official call for papers PDF in full before writing, and mention your discipline and career stage in the covering email, since the organisers have flagged doctoral and postdoctoral participation as a priority for this edition.