Critical review of “the epistemology of involvement” in understanding religious beliefs

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD of Contemporary Philosophy, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Philosophy Department, College of Farabi, University of Tehran, Qom, Iran.

Abstract

John Cottingham, a contemporary English philosopher, considers the best way to understand religious beliefs to be an empathic understanding. He calls his theory “the epistemology of involvement”. Based on this theory, in order to understand religious beliefs, one should put aside the detachment approach and by entering the life of faith, provide the conditions for the realization of the religious experiences of the believers, and at the same time, maintain the critical opinion in this sympathetic participation in religion. He considers such an approach to be a middle way between Kierkegaard's irrationalism and Plantinga's relativism and considers it generalizable to other philosophical fields. This approach faces criticism. First, before entering a religious life, it is necessary to evaluate its worldview, and this evaluation precedes the practical system and literary and emotional texts of that religion. Second, there is no connection between an empathetic understanding of religion and entering into a life of faith, and thirdly, by entering into a life of faith, the acceptance of a belief will be involuntary, and after the realization of such a belief, it is not possible to criticize it.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Chappell, Timothy. (2007). Reviewed Work: The Spiritual Dimension: Religion, Philosophy, and Human Value by John Cottingham. In Mind, 116(463): 743-746. Oxford University Press.
Cottingham, John. (2005). The Spiritual Dimension – Religion, Philosophy, and Human Value, 1st edition, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Cottingham, John. (2009a). Why Believe, 1st edition, UK: Continuum.
Cottingham, John. (2009b). What is Humane Philosophy and Why is it at Risk? In: The Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement, Vol. 65, pp. 233 – 255.
Cottingham, John. (2014). Philosophy of Religion - Towards a More Humane Approach, 1st edition, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Cottingham, John (2017). Why Belief? Translated by Shīrīn Muqīmī Zanjānī, Tehran: Elmi & Farhangi Publishing. (In Persian)
Geivett, R. Douglas; Sweetman, Brendan. (2017). Contemporary Perspectives on Religious Epistemology. Introduction & Translated by Hāshem Murwārīd, 1st edition, Tehran: Ney Publishing. (In Persian)
Ibn Turke Iṣfahanī, Ṣā’in al-Dīn. (2021). Tamhīd al-Qawā‘id. Introduction, edition, and commentaries by Seyyed Jalāl al-Dīn Ᾱshtīyānī, 8th edition. Qom: Būstāni Kitāb. (In Persian)
Mcpherson, David. (2015). Review of John Cottingham's Philosophy of Religion: Towards a More Humane Approach. https://www.academia.edu/8508761/Review_of_John_Cottinghams_ Philosophy_of_Religion_Towards_a_More_Humane_Approach_Religious_Studies_An_International_Journal_for_the_Philosophy_of_Religion_51_1_2015_135_9_
Naṣīrī, Manṣūr. (2016). Explanation in The Philosophy of Science, 2nd edition, Tehran: University of Tehran Press. (In Persian)
Oppy, Graham. (2015). https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/philosophy-of-religion-towards-a-more-humane-approach/
Peterson, Michael; Hasker, William; Reichenbach, Bruce; Basinger, David. (2009). Reason and Religious Belief: an introduction to the philosophy. Translated by Ahmad Naraqī; Ibrahīm Sultānī, 6th edition, Tehran: Tarhe No. (In Persian)
Philipse, Herman. (2022). Reason and Religion: Evaluating and Explaining Belief in Gods. UK: Cambridge University Press.
Stevenson, Leslie. (2006). BOOK REVIEWS. The Philosophical Quarterly, 56(224): 474 – 476.
Send comment about this article
CAPTCHA Image
Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 16, Issue 40 - Serial Number 40
Special Issue: Philosophy of Education (In Persian)
2022
Pages 277-291

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics