Professor Gregory Dawes

BTheol, PGDipTheol, PhD (Otago [Biblical Studies]), SSL (Rome Pont Bib Inst), PhD (Otago [Philosophy])

Burns 2N11
Tel +64 3 479 5232
Mob +64 21 027 31359
Email gregory.dawes@otago.ac.nz

Greg gained his first graduate degree at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome (1988) before completing PhDs in Biblical Studies (1995) and Philosophy (2007). He now teaches in both the Religion and Philosophy programmes.

His earlier work examined the challenges to belief that arose from the historical study of Christian origins. This led him to the study of the relations between science and religion and, more generally, of the various 'modes of thought' found across cultures.

His recent books include Galileo and the Conflict between Religion and Science (Routledge, 2016), Religion, Philosophy and Knowledge (Palgrave Pivot, 2016), and Deprovincializing Science and Religion (Cambridge Elements, 2021).

Teaching

Papers taught in 2024

RELS 217 / RELS 317 Religion, Science and Magic

Preferred areas of graduate supervision

Religious, scientific and historical forms of explanation.
18th- to 21st-century theories of religion.
Theories of textual interpretation in Christianity and Islam.

Publications

Dawes, G. W. (2023). Animism and naturalism: Practice and theory. In T. Smith (Ed.), Animism and philosophy of religion. (pp. 153-177). Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-94170-3_7 Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2023). Myth. In G. D. Chryssides & A. R. Chryssides (Eds.), Contested concepts in the study of religion: A critical exploration. (pp. 75-79). London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic. Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. (2023). Pseudoscience. In J. M. Mattingly (Ed.), SAGE encyclopedia of theory in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. (pp. 760-763). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. doi: 10.4135/9781071872383.n166 Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. (2022, December). Is science Western? Verbal presentation at the New Zealand Association of Philosophers (NZAP) Conference, Palmerston North, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. W. (2021). Spirit possession as a source of knowledge. In C. Blyth (Ed.), Spirit possession and communication in religious and cultural contexts. (pp. 184-200). Abingdon, UK: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429324192 Chapter in Book - Research

2023

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2023). Myth. In G. D. Chryssides & A. R. Chryssides (Eds.), Contested concepts in the study of religion: A critical exploration. (pp. 75-79). London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic.

2022

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. (2022, December). Is science Western? Verbal presentation at the New Zealand Association of Philosophers (NZAP) Conference, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

2021

Authored Book - Research

Dawes, G. (2021). Deprovincializing science and religion. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 69p. doi: 10.1017/9781108612623

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2021). Naturalism. In S. Goetz & C. Taliaferro (Eds.), Encyclopedia of philosophy of religion. John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/9781119009924.eopr0262

Journal - Research Other

Dawes, G. W. (2021). Science and the church [Review of the book On trial for reason: Science, religion, and culture in the Galileo affair]. Metascience, 30, 467-470. doi: 10.1007/s11016-021-00686-5

Other Research Output

Dawes, G. (2021, May). Decolonizing philosophy: Differing forms of knowledge. Philosophy Programme Seminar Series, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

2020

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Dawes, G. W. (2020). Towards a practice-based pluralist theory of cultural knowledge. Proceedings of the New Zealand Association of Philosophy (NZAP) Conference and the Inaugural UC AI Conference. Retrieved from https://2020nzapconference.blogspot.com

Other Research Output

Dawes, G. (2020, September). Towards a practice-based pluralist theory of (cultural) knowledge. Philosophy Programme Seminar Series, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

2019

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2019). Empiricism. In G. Oppy (Ed.), A companion to atheism and philosophy. (pp. 99-110). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.

Dawes, G. W. (2019). Theories of Religion: Atheism: Myth and magic. In J. W. Koterski & G. Oppy (Eds.), Theism and atheism: Opposing arguments in philosophy. (pp. 632-636). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale. [Contribution].

Other Research Output

Dawes, G. (2019, April). The autonomy of science: Historical reflections. Department of Philosophy Seminar Series, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

2018

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W., & Smith, T. (2018). The naturalism of the sciences. Studies in History & Philosophy of Science Part A, 67, 22-31. doi: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2017.11.012

Dawes, G. W. (2018). Identifying pseudoscience: A social process criterion. Journal for General Philosophy of Science, 49(3), 283-298. doi: 10.1007/s10838-017-9388-6

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Dawes, G. W. (2018). Science and religion: Beyond ethnocentrism. Proceedings of the Joint Conference of the New Zealand Association for the Study of Religions (NZASR) & Australian Association for the Study of Religions (AASR): Ngā Wāhi Tapu/Sacred Place: Continuity and Change. (pp. 82). Retrieved from http://www.nzasr.ac.nz

Other Research Output

Dawes, G. & Weber, Z. (2018, May). On the analytic/continental divide: In defence of Derrida? Department of Philosophy Seminar Series, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

2017

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2017). Ancient and medieval empiricism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. (Online ed.) Stanford, CA: Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/empiricism-ancient-medieval/

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2017). The sacred, the occult and the distinctiveness of religion. Studies in Religion, 46(1), 19-36. doi: 10.1177/0008429816673046

Journal - Research Other

Dawes, G. W. (2017). [Review of the book Notebooks, English virtuosi, and early modern science]. Memory Studies, 10(3), 363-365. doi: 10.1177/1750698017701618

Other Research Output

Dawes, G. (2017, May). The development of medieval empiricism. Department of Philosophy Seminar Series, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

Dawes, G. (2017, August). Out of the myths: The birth of philosophy. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Inaugural Professorial Lecture].

2016

Authored Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2016). Religion, philosophy and knowledge. Palgrave Macmillan, 166p. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-43500-8

Dawes, G. W. (2016). Galileo and the conflict between religion and science. New York, NY: Routledge, 198p. doi: 10.4324/9781315637723

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. (2016). Experiment, speculation, and Galileo's scientific reasoning. Perspectives on Science, 24(3), 343-360. doi: 10.1162/POSC_a_00210

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. (2016, July). Empiricism and atheism. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAP) Conference, Melbourne, Australia.

2015

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2015). The act of faith: Aquinas and the moderns. In J. Kvanvig (Ed.), Oxford studies in philosophy of religion (Vol. 6). (pp. 58-86). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Harding, J. E., & Dawes, G. W. (2015). Body. In S. E. Balentine (Ed.), Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and theology (Vol. 1). (pp. 86-92). Oxford University Press. [Encyclopaedia/Dictionary Entry].

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2015). Who wants to be a saint? Think, 15, 105-116. doi: 10.1017/S1477175615000421

Dawes, G. W. (2015). Basic beliefs and Christian faith. Religious Studies, 51(1), 61-74. doi: 10.1017/S0034412514000250

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. (2015, October). The sacred, the occult and the distinctiveness of religion. Verbal presentation at the Religion Across the Humanities: Matariki Humanities Colloquium, Kingston, Canada.

Other Research Output

Dawes, G. (2015, March). Are religious beliefs hinge beliefs? Department of Philosophy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

2014

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2014). Could there be an Islamic philosophy of religion? In P. Morris, W. Shepard, P. Trebilco & T. Tidswell (Eds.), The teaching and study of Islam in western universities. (pp. 143-152). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2014). Participation and causality: Lévy-Bruhl revisited. Studies in Religion, 43(2), 294-318. doi: 10.1177/0008429814526144

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Dawes, G. (2014). Religion and science: A case of differing epistemic norms. Proceedings of the New Zealand Association of Philosophy (NZAP) Conference. Retrieved from http://2014nzapconference.blogspot.co.nz/

Other Research Output

Dawes, G. (2014, May). Perception and reasons. Department of Philosophy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar].

2013

Edited Book - Research

Dawes, G. W., & Maclaurin, J. (Eds.). (2013). A new science of religion. New York: Routledge, 212p.

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2013). Creationism. In A. L. C. Runehov & L. Oviedo (Eds.), Encyclopedia of sciences and religions. (pp. 522-530). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_623

Dawes, G., & Maclaurin, J. (2013). What is religion? In G. W. Dawes & J. Maclaurin (Eds.), A new science of religion. (pp. 11-25). New York: Routledge.

Dawes, G., & Maclaurin, J. (2013). Introduction. In G. W. Dawes & J. Maclaurin (Eds.), A new science of religion. (pp. 1-8). New York: Routledge.

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2013). The rationality of renaissance magic. Parergon, 30(2), 33-58. doi: 10.1353/pgn.2013.0132

Dawes, G. W. (2013). Belief is not the issue: A defence of inference to the best explanation. Ratio, 26(1), 62-78. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9329.2012.00537.x

2012

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2012). Justified believing: Avoiding the paradox. In J. Maclaurin (Ed.), Rationis defensor: Essays in honour of Colin Cheyne. (pp. 11-21). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2012). Religion, science, and explanation. Ars Disputandi, 12, 19-34.

Dawes, G. W., & Jong, J. (2012). Defeating the Christian's claim to warrant. Philo, 15(2), 127-144.

Dawes, G. W. (2012). Evolution and the Bible: The hermeneutical question. Relegere, 2(1), 37-63.

2011

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. (2011). “A certain similarity to the devil”: Historical criticism and Christian faith. In C. R. Bovell (Ed.), Interdisciplinary perspectives on the authority of scripture: Historical, Biblical and theoretical perspectives. (pp. 354-370). Eugene, OR: Pickwick.

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2011). In defense of naturalism. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 70(1), 3-25. doi: 10.1007/s11153-011-9291-8

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Dawes, G. (2011). Belief is not the issue: A defence of inference to the best explanation. Proceedings of the Joint Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAP) and New Zealand Division of the Australasian Association of Philosophy (AAPNZ) Annual Conference. Retrieved from http://www.aap-conferences.org.au/past-conferences/AAP-AAPNZ2011-home/

Dawes, G. (2011). Galileo as forerunner: Experimental natural philosophy before Boyle. Proceedings of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (ANZAMEMS) 8th Biennial International Conference. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/mems/Abstracts28Jan11.pdf

2010

Journal - Research Other

Dawes, G. W. (2010). [Review of the book Understanding naturalism]. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 88(4), 757-758. doi: 10.1080/00048400903077093

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Dawes, G., & Maclaurin, J. (2010). What is religion? Identifying the Explanandum. Proceedings of the Towards a Unified Science of Religion Conference. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/philosophy/conferences.html

2009

Authored Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2009). Theism and explanation. New York: Routledge, 212p.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. (2009, July). Could there be an Islamic philosophy of religion? Verbal presentation at the Centre for the Study of Islam and Muslim Cultures Colloquium: The Role of the Study of Islam in the Western University, Dunedin, New Zealand.

2008

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2008). Paradigmatic explanation: Strauss's dangerous idea. Louvain Studies, 32, 64-77. doi: 10.2143/LS.32.1.2032352

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. W. (2008, July). Entitlement and justification: Towards a defence of evidentialism. Verbal presentation at the New Zealand Association for the Study of Religion Conference, Rotorua, New Zealand.

2007

Authored Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2007). Introduction to the Bible (New Collegeville Bible Commentary series: Old Testament, Vol. 1). Collegeville, USA: Liturgical Press, 80p.

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2007). Can a Darwinian be a Christian? Religion Compass, 1(6), 711-724.

Dawes, G. W. (2007). What is wrong with intelligent design? International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 61, 69-81.

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper

Dawes, G. (2007). Faith and reason in Christianity and Islam. Bulletin ET, 18(1-2), (pp. 119-130). [Full Paper]

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. (2007, June). Darwinism and Christianity: The conflict thesis revisited. Verbal presentation at the New Zealand Association for the Study of Religions Conference, Queenstown, New Zealand.

2006

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. W. (2006). Religion without God? In R. Pelly & P. A. Stuart (Eds.), A religious atheist? Critical essays on the work of Lloyd Geering. (pp. 111-124). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (2006). Why historicity still matters: Raymond Brown and the infancy narratives. Pacifica, 19(2), 156-176.

2005

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. (2005). Religious studies and the presumption of naturalism. In J. Bulbulia & P. Morris (Eds.), What is religion for? (pp. 193-210). Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University of Wellington.

2004

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. (2004, April). Paradigmatic explanations: Strauss's dangerous idea. Verbal presentation at the Sourcing the Quest: The Roots and Branches of the Quest for the Historical Jesus, Leuven, Belgium.

Dawes, G. (2004, June). Feuerbach, Geering, and the Incarnation [Invited speaker]. Verbal presentation at the Lloyd Geering: Theology and Influence Colloquium, Wellington.

2003

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. (2003). Troeltsch, Ernst (1865-1923). In L. Houlden (Ed.), Jesus in history, thought, and culture: An Encyclopedia. (pp. 855-857). Santa Barbara: ABC Clio.

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. (2003). Religious studies, faith, and the presumption of naturalism. Journal of Religion & Society, 5. Retrieved from http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2003/2003-8.html

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Dawes, G. (2003). [Review of the book Julius Wellhausen: The pharisees and sadducees: An examination of internal Jewish history. Journal of Religious History, 27(1), 85-86.

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Dawes, G. (2003, December). On the very idea of a religious explanation. Verbal presentation at the Australasian Association of Philosopy (New Zealand) Conference, Massey University.

2002

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. (2002). God beyond theism? Bishop Spong, Paul Tillich and the Unicorn. Pacifica, 15, 65-71.

Dawes, G. (2002). Could there be another Galileo case? Galileo, Augustine, and Vatican II. Journal of Religion & Society, 4. Retrieved from http://www.creighton.edu/JRS

Journal - Research Other

Dawes, G. (2002). The historical Jesus quest revisited. Bible & Interpretation. Retrieved from https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/articles/jesusquest

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Dawes, G. (2002). Is Islam a violent religion? Stimulus, 10(1), 24-25.

2001

Authored Book - Research

Dawes, G. (2001). The Historical Jesus Question: The Challenge of History to Religious Authority. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 392p.

Chapter in Book - Research

Dawes, G. (2001). The sense of the past in the New Testament and the Qur'an. In P. Makariev (Ed.), Islamic and Christian Cultures: Conflict or Dialogue. (pp. 9-31). Washington, DC: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy.

2000

Journal - Research Other

Dawes, G. W. (2000). The historical Jesus and the question of religious authority. Bible & Interpretation. Retrieved from https://bibleinterp.arizona.edu/articles/historical_Jesus

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Dawes, G. (2000). Christians and Muslims in the contemporary world. Tui Motu, May, 8-11.

1999

Edited Book - Research

Dawes, G. (Ed.). (1999). The Historical Jesus Quest: A Foundational Anthology. Leiden: DEO Publishing, 313p.

1998

Authored Book - Research

Dawes, G. (1998). The Body in Question: Metaphor and Meaning in the Interpretation of Ephesians 5: 21-33. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 264p.

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Dawes, G. (1998). A Degree of Objectivity: Christian Faith and the Limits of History. Stimulus, 6(3), 32-37.

1996

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (1996). Derrida among the teachers of the law: deconstruction and biblical studies. Pacifica, 9, 301-309.

Dawes, G. (1996). Theology and Religious Studies in the university: 'Some ambiguities' revisited. Religion, 26(1), 49-68. doi: 10.1006/reli.1996.0004

Dawes, G. W. (1996). The danger of idolatry: First Corinthians 8: 7-13. Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 58, 82-98. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43722572

1995

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. W. (1995). Review of The Theology of the Shorter Pauline Letters , by Karl P. Donfried and I. Howard Marshall (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1993). Pacifica, 8, 352-354.

1994

Journal - Research Article

Dawes, G. (1994). Review of Deconstructing the New Testament Biblical Interpretation 5 by D. Seeley (Leiden, Brill, 1994) and Poststructuralism and the New Testament: Derrida and Foucault at the Foot of the Cross. by S.D. Moore (Minneapolis, Fortress, 1995). Literature & Theology, 9, 452-453.