Dr Simon Hewitt
- Position: Associate Professor in Theology
- Areas of expertise: Systematic theology; Fundamental theology; Analytic theology; Philosophy of religion; Wittgenstein; Aquinas
- Email: S.Hewitt@leeds.ac.uk
- Location: 1.05 Botany House
- Website: Website
Profile
I am a theologian working in the Christian tradition. I work by applying ideas and methods from analytic philosophy (particularly from the work of Wittgenstein) to theological questions. I am an expert in apophaticism – the idea that God fundamentally transcends our linguistic and conceptual resources. I am enthusiastic about supervising PhDs in my areas of expertise.
Responsibilities
- Director of PoRT centre
- Programme Manager - MA PRE
- UCU rep for School of PRHS
Research interests
I have three main areas of research at the moment. In addition to these I have expertise in apophaticism and its implications for theology, including political theology:
Theology and Wittgenstein: I am interested in the theological applications of Wittgenstein's philosophy, both early and late. My approach to this topic is conditioned by a particular British Dominican tradition, exemplified by figures such as Fergus Kerr and Herbert McCabe. This research will form the basis of a major grant application.
Hope: With Tasia Scrutton (Leeds) I am working on a project examining theological accounts of hope and attempting to correlate these with secular accounts in a world which often seems devoid of reasons for hope.
Creation and Creativity: With James Lorenz (York St John) I am thinking about the doctrine of creation and what implications it might have for understanding the relationship between divine creation and human creativity.
Qualifications
- PhD (London), MA (London), MA (Oxford), BSc(Hons) (Brunel)
Professional memberships
- Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain
- Society for the Study of Theology
- British Society for Philosophy of Religion
Student education
I am a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Research groups and institutes
- Centre for Philosophy of Religion and Theology