About the Journal

Aims and Scope 

Prajñā Vihāra: Journal of Philsophy and Religion is a multicultural and pluralistic journal of ethics, philosophy and religious studies dedicated to the promotion of mutual understanding among the diverse peoples of the world. In the spirit of the Sanskrit words “Prajñā Vihāra” meaning “temple of wisdom,” the editors encourage creative academic work that promotes a sharing of wisdom among scholars and readers.

It welcomes specialized articles in Ethics, Philosophy, Religion and Cultural Studies that seek to promote harmony between various philosophical and religious traditions while respecting cultural and religious difference.

Ethics: Assumption University has alway emphasized Ethics as one of its mail identities. The journal welcomes articles in Ethics that address pressing local issues in the Southeast Asian region and articles by local scholars that engage global ethical problems.

Philosophy: The journal has always welcomed a wide variety of philosophical articles. With the increasing focus of its Aims and Scope, it gives more consideration to philosophical work by Southeast Asian philosophers and philosophical work in comparative, cultural and indigenous philosophy.

Religion: The program in Philosophy and Religion at Assumption University has always had a pluralistic outlook. As a result, the journal has always tried to balance publications in Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and other local religions and indigenous practices. It especially welcomes artilces that engage with religious issues in the Southeast Asian region.

The journal offers a forum for challenging but responsible discussion of controversial issues in ethics, philosophy and religion. 

Publication Frequency

Prajñā Vihāra is a semiannual journal published two times a year (January to June, and July to December) by the faculty of the Graduate Program in Philosophy and Religion at Assumption University of Thailand.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Prajñā Vihāra: Journal of Philosophy and Religion has always been an arena for dissemination of interesting and original research from the Southeast Asian region and the Asian region as a whole. It mission is to promote research which is done by scholars who use English as a second language. It is very attentive to promoting local research and improving submissions while balancing this with a commitment to ethics and best practices.

Sources of Support

Journal History

Since the year 2000, Prajñā Vihāra: Journal of Philosophy and Religion,has been devoted to giving regional scholars an opportunity to publish their research in the fields of philosophy, religion, culture and other topics within the humanities. It was established at Assumption University of Thailand. As an international Catholic university, Assumption University recognized the importance of the role of philosophy and religion in supporting and complementing its other academic programs. It also recognized the role of research in philosophy and religion for uniting the various Catholic universities in the region.

Because of this mission, the journal has had a close relationship with two organizations. The first is 'The Asian Association of Christian Philosophers (AACP)', which is now inactive, and the other is the 'Council for Research and Values in Philosophy (RVP)', the latter of which was created by the late Father George McLean. These two organizations have provided the pool of regional and international scholars which are represented in our Editorial Consultants.

The journal began as the 'ABAC Journal of Philosophy and Religion'in 1994, later changed to 'The Journal of Philosophy, Culture and Religion' in January 1996. The first editor-in-chief was Dr. Kirti Bunchua. The journal was promoted by the then president of the university Brother Martin Komolmas with the following words:

"Materialistic concepts and not spiritual values, self-adulation and not self-abnegation, savagery and not compassion appear to be transforming the human psyche, and to check and reverse this dangerous and nefarious trend, we must have recourse to philosophy and metaphysics, to old values and to religion, before we are doomed to annihilation and extinction from the earth."

The early issues of the journal featured essays by the famous American philosopher John Caputo, Paul F. Knitter, and our mentor, the late Fr. George McLean, who always held a special place in the editorial board.

In the year 2000, the journal's name was changed to Prajñā Vihāra: Journal of Philosophy and Religion. This reflected the renewed emphasis on its role as a promoter of pluralist thought and its role as the major English language journal devoted to philosophy and religion within South East Asia. This mission is reflected the statement of its Aim and Scope.