CO-SPONSORSHIP: Global-Critical Philosophy of Religion Unit and Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy

Womb Cosmologies: A Cross-Cultural Conversation

The metaphor and notion of womb have been the focus of inquiry and theorization in many cosmological and philosophical systems. The Chinese classic Daodejing frequently alludes to the metaphor of the womb/vagina as the generative force of the cosmos (mother of all things), e.g., the spirit of the valley and the gate of the obscure she-best. The Arabic term for compassion/mercy raḥama comes from the root raḥm (womb). The Buddhist term for universal Buddha-nature, tathāgatagarbha, is literally the womb (garbha) of the thus-gone/come-one. This co-sponsored panel invites scholars and philosophers to join a cross-cultural conversation about different womb cosmologies, their relations to love ethics, as well as their promises in bringing forth a friendlier future.