Philosophy of religion
The philosophy of religion is that branch of philosophy concerned with religion and religions. It It differs from philosophical theology in that the philosophy of religion applies philosophy to religion, while theology applies philosophy to questions and problems within religion. There is considerable overlap, however, between the topics and methods of the two disciplines.
The philosophy of religion typically investigates metaphysical questions such as the nature of religion, the existence and nature of a god or gods, and the possibility of miracles, epistemological questions such as the status and nature of faith and of religious experience, questions of the possibility and nature or religious language, and ethical questions concerning the relationship between morality and a god or gods.
(In what follows, the term "god" will be used to stand for "a god or gods".)
The nature of religion
What exactly is to count as a religion and what not is an extremely difficult question, and no universally accepted answer has been given. Philosophers such as Brian Davies explicitly decline to offer a view on the matter,[1] others merely offer a set of paradigmatic examples,[2], and some try to offer a more convetional definitio.[3]
There are two major aspects of what it is to be a religion: doctrine and social role.
Metaphysics
The existence of god
Arguments for the existence of god
Arguments against the existence of god
The nature of god
Divine attributes
Space and time
The relationship between god and the world
Miracles and prayer
Epistemology
Faith, knowledge, and belief
Religious experience
Religious knowledge
Morality and religion
The Euthyphro dilemma
The consistency of religion and morality
Notes
- ↑ Davies [1993], p.ix
- ↑ "Religions include Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, and those traditions that resemble one or more of them." (italics in original), Taliaferro [1998]. p.21
- ↑ "religion is constituted by a set of beliefs, actions, and emotions, both personal and corporate, organized around the concept of an Ultimate Reality" (italics in original), Peterson, et al. [1991], p.24
Further reading
Collections of readings
- Ann Loades and Loyal D. Rue [edd] Contemporary Classic in Philosophy of Religion. La Salle, Illinois: Open Court, 1991. ISBN0-8126-9169-5
- Eleonore Stump and Michael J. Murray [edd] Philosophy of Religion: The Big Questions. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999. ISBN 0-631-20604-3
General and introductory monographs
- Brian Davies An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-19-289235-5
- Robin Le Poidevin Arguing for Atheism: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. London: Routledge 1996. ISBN 0-415-09338-4
- J.L. Mackie The Miracle of Theism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982. ISBN 0-19-824682-X
- Miachael Peterson, William Hasker, Bruce Reichenbach, and David Basinger Reason and Religious Belief: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. ISBN 0-19-506155-1
- Arvind Sharma The Philosophy of religion: A Buddhist Perspective. Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1997. ISBN019564272-4
- Charles Taliaferro Contemporary Philosophy of Religion. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998. ISBN 1-55786-449-7