Launching in early Spring 2026
Engaging Humanism in Spiritual Care
A Collegial Conversation Across Wisdom Traditions
An ongoing online academic consultation for spiritual care practitioners and scholars
What do we have in mind?
This symposium is an ongoing online academic consultation hosted by IASC.
Its purpose is to facilitate a collegial conversation on the contributions of Humanism to spiritual care, in dialogue with other worldviews and wisdom traditions.
The symposium will take place primarily through the IASC website and will include short essays, responses, and moderated interaction. Materials developed through the symposium will be considered for possible publication.
Why now?
Spiritual care continues to grow across disciplines, cultures, and traditions—especially within increasingly plural societies facing complex challenges, including violence and social fragmentation.
At the same time, Humanism has offered rich and diverse contributions to spiritual care as both a philosophical tradition and an interdisciplinary endeavor. Western Europe has been a particularly fertile place for the development of Humanism and humanistic approaches to care and meaning-making.
This symposium aims to create a space for thoughtful engagement, comparative learning, and constructive collaboration.
Purpose and goals
The overarching purpose of the symposium is to create a space conducive to mutually enriching interaction among representatives of Humanism and other wisdom traditions/worldviews by:
- Identifying and acknowledging the manifold contributions of Humanism to spiritual care
- Fostering comparative analyses across traditions
- Exploring future collaboration, including the possibility of publishing a text based on symposium contributions
Format and methodology
The symposium will unfold through a curated and participatory process:
- A selection of short essays on spiritual care from Humanistic perspectives will be made available through IASC
- Representatives of “Abrahamic” traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and other traditions—especially Hinduism, Buddhism—will be invited to respond and engage in critical conversation
- Symposium activities will include presentations and interactive responses carried out primarily on the IASC website
- An editorial team will review contributions and consider material suitable for publication
Timeline
The symposium is planned to begin in early spring 2026.
Additional information—participation guidelines, the initial set of essays, and the first responses—will be shared through an upcoming IASC Occasional.Bulletin and posted here on the IASC website.
Stay tuned
As Symposium conveners, we warmly invite you to follow the symposium as it unfolds: Carmen M. Schuhmann, Ph.D., University of Humanistic Studies (Utrecht, The Netherlands), and Daniel S. Schipani, Dr. Psy., Ph.D., IASC President.
- Watch for the next Occasional Bulletin with participation details.
- This page will be updated as new materials become available.
International Association for Spiritual Care 