Concept

Philosophy of religion

Overview

Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known texts concerning philosophy. The field involves many other branches of philosophy, including metaphysics, epistemology, logic, ethics, aesthetics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of science.

The philosophy of religion differs from religious philosophy in that it seeks to discuss questions regarding the nature of religion as a whole, rather than examining the problems brought forth by a particular belief-system. The philosophy of religion differs from theology in that it critically evaluates the logical coherence and truth of fundamental religious concepts (such as God, souls, miracles, revelation, transcendence, ultimate reality, and mystical or religious experiences) independently of a particular religious tradition. The philosophy of religion also differs from religious studies in that its examination of religion is not limited to historical or sociological perspectives. It can be carried out dispassionately by those who identify as believers or non-believers.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).

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The higher life which belongs to this sphere, this supreme enjoyment of truth, which as feeling is called "blessedness," and as conscious thought "contemplation," we may describe generically as the life known to religion. For religion is just this universal domain[184], in virtue of which the _one_ concrete totality of the World comes to each man in union with himself, as his essential substance, while it remains no…
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, The Philosophy of Fine Art, volume 1
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The Philosophy of Religion has to discover the logical necessity in the progress by which the Being, known as the Absolute, assumes fuller and firmer features; it has to note to what particular feature the kind of cultus corresponds,—and then to see how the secular self-consciousness, the consciousness of what is the supreme vocation of man,—in short how the nature of a nation’s moral life, the principle of its law…
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Hegel's Philosophy of Mind
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Most books on the philosophy of religion try to begin with a precise definition of what its essence consists of. Some of these would‐be definitions may possibly come before us in later portions of this course, and I shall not be pedantic enough to enumerate any of them to you now. Meanwhile the very fact that they are so many and so different from one another is enough to prove that the word “religion” cannot stand…
William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience
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