The Institute of Philosophy received numerous international guests from September 17th to 19th during the realization of the Symposium "Human and Divine Providence". The symposium sought to offer an original answer to the following question: Can the study of human provident actions illuminate our understanding of divine providence?

Philosophers, theologians, and psychologists gathered to examine human provident action as a source of metaphors specifically suited to the richness of personal action, and thus to the providence of a personal God.

Tim Pawl, from St Thomas University, reflected on the interaction of human and divine providence; Neal Judisch, from the University of Oklahoma, and Ignacio Silva, a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy, examined the relationship that contingency and indeterminism have with human and divine providence respectively;

Connie Svob, from Columbia University, and Emily Reed, from Oxford University, presented psychological considerations on memory and on notions of God's activity in the world; Andrew Pinsent and Michael Burdett, both from Oxford University, considered the topic of grace and technology as supernatural and natural providences, respectively. Finally, Francisco O'Reilly, from the University of Montevideo, and Craig Boyd, from St. Louis University, discussed the possibility of considering God as a person and prudence as a condition of providence.

They will all participate in the publication of a collective volume on Human and Divine Providence.