The Relevance of Philosophy of Religion to Religious Studies: Of Gaps and Gratitude
By: J. Aaron Simmons (Department of Philosophy, Furman University), www.furman.edu/philosophy/simmons
In 1996, William J. Wainwright edited a book entitled God, Philosophy, and Academic Culture: A Discussion between Scholars in the AAR and the APA. That book features contributions from some of the most influential philosophers of religion and theologians in recent history: Nicholas Wolterstorff, Merold Westphal, Walter Lowe, Stephen Crites, Philip L. Quinn, C. Stephen Evans, Wayne Proudfoot, and Robert M. Adams. In the introduction to that volume, Wainwright notes that despite important steps toward engaged dialogue and productive collaboration, “the gap between APA [American Philosophical Association] philosophers of religion and their counterparts in the AAR [American Academy of Religion] remains” (p.3). It has been 16 years since the publication of Wainwright’s book and I think that it is well worth considering whether this “gap” has been, as Wainwright hopes, “overcome” (p.3). Further, it is also worth considering whether such an “overcoming” is really an appropriate goal to continue to advocate.
Perhaps the dialogue between philosophers of religion in the APA and “their counterparts in the AAR” is more productively fostered by maintaining some distinctions, even if those distinctions are tenuous and continuously revisable as the dialogue itself continues to progress and new questions begin to... Read More
Playing with Kant and OOO
Carl Sachs and I shared a session at last week’s North Texas Philosophical Association meeting. Sachs gave an interesting paper about what Kant calls “the affinity of the manifold.” I’d just been gathering my notes for a post on Levi Bryant’s chapter in The Democracy of Objects on the “virtual proper being” of objects (I’ll finish putting this together soon) and the intersection sparked the following... Read More
The Necessity of Another
From the very first time I was introduced to the work of Jean-Luc Marion, I was captivated with his account of the passive self and saturated phenomenon. Being principally concerned with the human propensity for self-righteousness, Marion’s philosophy provided me with a way to think the Christian experience while steering clear of some of the naughtier habits of the autarkic self. However, in continuing to interact with Marion’s... Read More
So you think you can tell?: Perception and the Postmodern Condition
Apple, Sydney, by Pedro Milanez So, so you think you can tell heaven from hell, blue skies from pain? -Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd, 1975 The classic Pink Floyd song addressed former band member Syd Barrett’s breakdown, and writer Roger Walters’ feelings of alienation. The song’s symbolism has also been aligned with perceptions of a narcotic trip. The Easter speech by Pope Benedict XVI suggests that in our postmodern moment, we have all... Read More
Forthcoming in the “Church and Postmodern Culture” series
I’m happy to provide an update on the “Church and Postmodern Culture” book series–the Gutenberg-isch reality behind these online conversations. (Books are so analog, right? At least books in the series are available in Kindle editions!) There are several new books in the pipeline and we’re working to recruit a few more. First up will be Daniel Bell’s book, The Economy of Desire: Christianity and Capitalism in... Read More
