Berger et al./Religion as Relation, 3. Turning the Tables

The philosophy of religion is one of the oldest and therefore most classical approaches to the study of religion. Acknowledging that religious studies owe a lot to philosophy, Chapter 3 by Christoph Jedan is an attempt at reversing a long-standing trend of importing concepts and methods established in other disciplines. Jedan’s chapter embarks on the opposite reflection that religious studies actually have a lot to offer other disciplines. In this vein, Jedan suggests that the historiography of philosophy could profit immensely from taking its cue from the terminology and research interests of religious studies. Using Stoicism as a central case study, Jedan explores inter alia the analytical usefulness of Smartʼs early differentiation of six dimensions of religion and of the concept of lived religion (adding a seventh one only later on). Finally, the author reflects on what ASR stands to gain by engaging with the history of philosophy.