معرفی
Louise Hickman serves as Reader in Philosophy of Religion at Newman University within the Faculty of Arts, Society and Professional Studies, where she leads postgraduate Theology provision and coordinates Philosophy and Ethics modules across undergraduate and foundation programs.
Her academic foundation includes undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Exeter followed by a PhD from the University of Cambridge, establishing her expertise in historical and religious philosophy.
Hickman's research centers on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century British philosophy with deep specialization in Cambridge Platonism and Rational Dissent traditions. She innovatively bridges historical analysis with contemporary philosophy of religion and science-religion dialogue, pioneering an ethico-political reconceptualization that examines how moral and political frameworks reshape religious philosophical discourse. Her work consistently explores intersections between theological concepts and socio-political movements, particularly through figures like Richard Price.
Analysis of her publications reveals sustained engagement with the transformative potential of historical philosophical movements for modern religious thought. Her scholarship demonstrates increasing integration of science-religion perspectives with ethical-political theory, while maintaining rigorous focus on primary textual analysis of dissenting traditions. Key thematic developments include ecotheological applications, universalist theology, and reconceptualizations of divine action within scientific frameworks.
Her scholarly recognition includes significant fellowships:
- Fellow of the International Society for Science and Religion
- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
Hickman actively supervises research students in Philosophy of Religion, Philosophical Theology, and Eighteenth-Century Rational Dissent. Her externally funded collaborations include advisory roles for the Templeton Foundation's 'God and the Book of Nature' project and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada's study on 'The Reception of German Mysticism in Early Modern England', demonstrating international research leadership. She previously served as editor of Reviews in Science and Religion (2011-2018).
Professional engagement extends through memberships in the American Academy of Religion, British Society for the History of Philosophy, British Society for the Philosophy of Religion, and UK Science and Religion Forum, alongside her trustee role with the Trussell Trust addressing poverty relief.
