Philosophy of religion
is a branch of philosophy concerned with questions regarding religion,
including the nature and existence of God, the examination of religious
experience, analysis of religious language and texts, and the relationship of
religion and science. It is an ancient discipline, being found in the earliest
known manuscripts concerning philosophy, and relates to many other branches of
philosophy and general thought, including metaphysics, logic, and history. Philosophy of religion is frequently discussed
outside of academia through popular books and debates, mostly regarding the
existence of God and problem of evil.
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. It is designed such
that it can be carried out dispassionately by those who identify as believers
or non-believers.
As a part of metaphysics
Philosophy of religion
has classically been regarded as a part of metaphysics. In Aristotle's
Metaphysics, he described first causes as one of the subjects of his
investigation. For Aristotle, the first cause was the unmoved mover, a being
which set the universe into motion without itself being in motion, which has
been read as God, particularly when Aristotle's work became prevalent again in
the Medieval West. This Prime Mover, first cause, argument later came to be
called natural theology by rationalist philosophers of the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries. Today, philosophers have adopted the term philosophy of
religion for the subject, and typically it is regarded as a separate field of
specialization, although it is also still treated by some, particularly
Catholic philosophers, as a part of metaphysics.
In the historical
relationship between metaphysics and philosophy of religion, the traditional
objects of religious discussion have been very special sorts of entities (such
as gods, angels, supernatural forces, and the like) and events, abilities, or
processes (the creation of the universe, the ability to do or know anything,
interaction between humans and gods, and so forth). Metaphysicians (and
ontologists in particular) are focused on understanding what it is for
something to exist — what it is for something to be an entity, event, ability,
or process. Because many members of religious traditions believe in things that
exist in profoundly different ways from more everyday things, objects of
religious belief both create particular philosophical problems and define
central metaphysical concepts.
Questions asked
Theologians, distinct from
philosophers of religion, often consider the existence of God as axiomatic or
self-evident and explain, justify or support religious claims by
rationalization or intuitive metaphors. In contrast, philosophers of religion
examine and critique the epistemological, logical, aesthetic and ethical
foundations inherent in the claims of a religion. Whereas a theologian
elaborates rationally or experientially on the nature of God, a philosopher of
religion is more interested in asking what may be knowable and opinable
regarding religion's claims.
Other questions studied in the
philosophy of religion include what, if anything, would give us good reason to
believe that a miracle has occurred, what is the relationship between faith and
reason, what is the relationship between morality and religion, what is the
status of religious language, and does petitionary prayer (sometimes still
called impetratory prayer) make sense?
Going beyond metaphysics, the
philosophy of religion also addresses questions in areas such as epistemology,
philosophy of language, philosophical logic, and moral philosophy. See also
world view.
What is God?
Among those who believe
in supernatural beings, some believe there is just one God (monotheism), while
others, such as Hindus, believe in many different deities (polytheism while
maintaining that all are manifestations of one God. Hindus have a widely followed
monistic philosophy that can be said to be neither monotheistic nor
polytheistic. Within these two broad categories (monotheism and polytheism)
there is a wide variety of possible beliefs. For example, among the monotheists
deists believe that the one God is like a watchmaker who wound up the universe
and does not intervene further in the universe, and some theists believe that
God continues to be active in the universe.
Buddhism deals less with
metaphysics and more with ontological questions and is generally not concerned
with the existence of a creator God but focuses on a state called Nirvana.
Veerapagupathy,
Chothavilai Beach,
Thengamputhoor,
Kanyakumari.
04652-221337,
8220099080.
Email:aveholidayhome@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment