Henriksen Religion as Orientation and Transformation

A Maximalist Theory
1. Auflage 2017
ISBN: 978-3-16-155099-7
Verlag: Mohr Siebeck
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, Band 90, 229 Seiten

Reihe: Religion in Philosophy and Theology

In this book, Jan-Olav Henriksen presents an argument for understanding religion as an expression of different types of practices: those of orientation, transformation, and reflection. Instead of understanding religion first and foremost on the basis of doctrine and propositionally articulated belief, he argues that religions should be seen primarily as practices that mediate symbolic resources for orientation and transformation. The meaning of doctrine and reflection is constituted by its relation to such practices. Thus, doctrine does not constitute religion. This approach allows for a maximalist understanding of religion, i.e. seeing religions as a variety of phenomena relating to all dimensions of human experience. This is not possible to understand from a reductionist perspective. The volume offers a concrete, practice-orientated and pragmatistic understanding of the role of religion in different realms of human life.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Henriksen, Jan-Olav

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsphilosophie, Philosophische Theologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Cover;1
2;Acknowledgements;8
3;Table of Contents;10
4;Introduction: A maximalist theory;14
4.1;The structure of the book;19
5;Chapter 1: Religions in and beyond philosophy of religion;22
5.1;The impossibility of a neutral approach to religion;22
5.2;Challenges for a philosophical approach to religions;26
5.3;Religion: orientation, transformation and legitimizing of practices;31
6;Chapter 2: Religion as symbolically mediated experience of things set apart;41
6.1;The world is full of signs: Peirce’s semiotic theory;42
6.2;Semiotics of orientation and religion: Dalferth;46
6.3;Things we deem religious: Ann Taves;50
7;Chapter 3: Natural religion on new terms?;63
7.1;The realms of experience;63
7.2;A maximalist approach: a critical view of CSR explanations of religions;80
7.2.1;Natural religion is not natural religion as it used to be;82
7.2.2;Schleiermacher as a model for assessing natural religion?;84
7.2.3;From explanation to understanding of religion;88
7.2.4;Nathaniel Barrett’s critique of the computational model;92
7.3;Conclusion;96
8;Chapter 4: Religion, Orientation, and Transformation in the Social World;98
8.1;Woodhead: Different dimensions in religions;98
8.1.1;Religion as culture;99
8.1.2;Religion as identity;107
8.1.3;Religion as relationship;110
8.1.4;Religion as practice;112
8.1.5;Religion as power;113
8.2;Implications for a philosophy of religion;114
9;Chapter 5: Religion as experienced in the personal realm: Emotions and Self-psychology;116
9.1;Heinz Kohut on the Self: Affirmation and idealization as a basis for orientation and transformation;117
9.2;Orchestrating religious emotions: Ole Riis and Linda Woodhead;126
9.2.1;Emotional regimes;126
9.2.2;Emotional, embodied experience;129
9.2.3;Emotional experience as symbolically mediated;131
9.2.4;Transcendence and emotional regimes;132
9.2.5;Emotion: Orientation and transformation;133
9.2.6;Conclusion;135
9.3;How religious symbols work: Attachment theory;136
9.4;The other in the personal realm: Beyond personal boundaries;139
10;Chapter 6: The path and its conditions: Change and transformation;144
10.1;Change and religion;144
10.1.1;Historical change and epistemic stability (normativity);147
10.1.2;Philosophy of religions and human evolution: Religion and humanity have unfinished business;152
10.2;Religion as motion – practices as learning and transformation;154
10.2.1;Religions as different types of discourse;155
10.2.2;Religion is mediation;159
10.2.3;A pragmatic concept of religious knowledge;159
10.2.4;The relation between O, T, and L in a learning perspective;161
10.2.5;Religious learning, experience, and the need for orientation;162
11;Chapter 7: Orientation and Legitimation Rooted in the Past: on Religion as a Chain of Memory;163
11.1;Tradition and orientation;163
11.2;Religion as a Chain of Memory;165
12;Chapter 8: On interactions between the physical and the mystical realms of experience;169
12.1;Schleiermacher: Religion in the interaction between the natural and the personal realm;170
12.2;From nature to the mystical – reflections on the interaction between realms;176
12.3;Conclusion: From experience to wisdom: the path revisited;185
13;Chapter 9: Three metaphors for how religions work;188
13.1;Religion as a virtual home;188
13.2;Religion as Score and Play;194
14;Chapter 10: Normative considerations: Religions as stewards of Wisdom?;199
14.1;The Quest for Wisdom;199
14.2;Basic experiences of the human condition;200
14.3;A recipe against religious stupidity;204
15;Chapter 11: Conclusions and implications;209
15.1;The normative outcome;209
15.2;Implications for a pragmatist view of religion;210
15.3;Understanding religion in a late modern societal context;211
15.4;A final note on secularization, detraditionalization, and authority;214
16;Bibliography;217
17;Indexes;223

Über Autor(innen)

Henriksen, Jan-Olav
Born 1961; 1990 Dr. theol.; 2000 Alan Richardson Fellow at the University of Durham, UK; 2002 Dr. philos.; since 1994 professor of systematic theology at MF Norwegian School of Theology; currently also Dean of Research; member of the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ.