Dordrecht / Heidelberg, 14 May 2007
Springer has added Sophia, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysical Theology and Ethics, to its extensive collection of journals. Sophia, sponsored by the Australasian Society of Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology, will move to a new format of three yearly issues under Springer. The first issue in this new series will appear in summer 2007; back issues will be available via Springer’s online platform springerlink.com.
Published since 1962, Sophia represents both Western and Eastern perspectives on philosophy grounded in the world’s religious traditions. It publishes philosophical work on a variety of disciplines and reflects on a wide range of literature. Its subjects are wide-ranging, from ethics to critical feminist theology. The international composition of Sophia’s editorial board is a reflection of its cross-cultural approach to analysis and of the varied response to issues and developments in the field of philosophy and religion.
The President of the Australasian Society of Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology, Professor Emeritus Max Charlesworth, said, “In my view, both philosophy and the study of religion are in an interesting state at the moment in that they are unencumbered by previous models or paradigms. We have learned that ‘religion’ is not a unitary phenomenon – ‘the Holy’, ‘the Sacred’, ‘the Transcendent’- - but a very vaguely defined area where diversity reigns. It is also an area where philosophers must work with anthropologists, sociologists, aestheticians and theologians. Philosophy of religion has a bright future and I very much hope that Sophia will play a significant role in the years to come“
Floor Oosting, Senior Publishing Editor, Philosophy and Religious Studies, at Springer, said, “Sophia is one of the outstanding journals in its field, publishing articles that significantly contribute to the cross-cultural acceptance of the philosophy of religion. We hope to engage both scholarly and contemporary interests while extending the global impact of this excellent journal.”
Sophia will be published three times a year online and in print. The first issue of Sophia to be offered through Springer will be available free at springerlink.com. The journal will include Online First, Cross Reference Linking and ToC Alerts, a feature by which subscribers receive the table of contents via email weeks in advance of the new issue. Authors, editors and reviewers of Sophia will have the option of using a fully web-enabled online manuscript submission and review system.
Springer (www.springer.com) is the second-largest publisher of journals in the science, technology, and medicine (STM) sector and the largest publisher of STM books. It publishes on behalf of more than 300 academic associations and professional societies. Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media, one of the world’s leading suppliers of scientific and specialist literature. The group publishes over 1,700 journals and more than 5,500 new books a year, as well as the largest STM eBook Collection worldwide. Springer has operations in over 20 countries in Europe, the USA, and Asia, and some 5,000 employees.