Reimagining Philosophy of Religion: Understanding, Commitment, and Making-Believe

by Amber L. Griffioen

Overview

By exploring how analytic philosophy of religion can expand its horizons to combat old biases, Amber L. Griffioen's new book argues for reorientations in the discipline aimed at transforming it into a field that is simultaneously theoretically rigorous, socially relevant, and inclusive of traditionally marginalized voices and perspectives.

Drawing on diverse philosophical resources, including social epistemology, philosophy of science, feminist philosophy, and philosophy of sport-as well as on perspectives from theology, religious studies, psychology, medieval mysticism, and the arts-Griffioen brings the practical and imaginative aspects of religion to the fore as objects for philosophical reflection. Chapters include discussions of topics such as theological realism, religious epistemology, theistic faith, the religious imagination, and theodicy and the problem of evil. Ultimately, Griffioen argues for a "doxastically permissive" approach to religion as a form of earnest play-one compatible with belief but not requiring it.

Presenting traditional debates together with a consideration of their limits-and proposing alternative approaches that promise to move the discipline forward in exciting ways-Griffioen's book is an essential resource for any scholar or student of philosophy of religion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350328495
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	10/02/2025
Series:	Expanding Philosophy of Religion
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	544 KB

About the Author

Amber L. Griffioen is Coordinator for Early Career Researchers and International Scholars, Cluster of Excellence at the University of Konstanz, Germany, and Residential Fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Religion, University of Notre Dame, USA.

Amber L. Griffioen is Visiting Associate Professor of Philosophy at Duke Kunshan University, where she teaches in the Ethics and Leadership program. She is also currently transitioning into the philosophical counseling sphere as an existential coach for reproductive struggle and life transition. Her work encompasses themes in philosophy of religion, medieval and early modern philosophy, the ethics of belief, moral psychology, and philosophy of sport, among other areas. She is the author of Religious Experience in the Cambridge Elements series, as well as of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Meister Eckhart, and she has also recently co-edited a volume titled Pluralizing Philosophy's Past (Palgrave/Springer). Other recent work includes articles on the philosophical theology of pregnancy loss, understanding medieval devotional texts as public philosophy, and the possibility and promise of non-doxastic prayer Amber L. Griffioen is Visiting Associate Professor of Philosophy at Duke Kunshan University, where she teaches in the Ethics and Leadership program. She is also currently transitioning into the philosophical counseling sphere as an existential coach for reproductive struggle and life transition. Her work encompasses themes in philosophy of religion, medieval and early modern philosophy, the ethics of belief, moral psychology, and philosophy of sport, among other areas. She is the author of Religious Experience in the Cambridge Elements series, as well as of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Meister Eckhart, and she has also recently co-edited a volume titled Pluralizing Philosophy's Past (Palgrave/Springer). Other recent work includes articles on the philosophical theology of pregnancy loss, understanding medieval devotional texts as public philosophy, and the possibility and promise of non-doxastic prayer

Table of Contents

IPreface

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Playing at Being a Discipline?

(1) Beyond Help? Fairies, Idols, and the View from Nowhere

(2) Beyond Knowledge: Toward a Social Epistemology of Understanding

(3) Beyond Nowhere: Doing Religious Epistemology from Somewhere

Interlude 1 – From Reorientation to Reform: Implications for the Discipline

(4) Beyond the Cognitive: Faith, Commitment, and the Religious Life

(5) Beyond the Doxastic: Recovering the Role of Imagination in Religion.

(6) Beyond the Indicative: The “Ultimate Horizons” of Pretend Play

(7) Beyond Faith: Make-Believe and the Religious Life

Interlude 2 – From Reform to Revolution: Playing the “Spoilsport”

(8) Beyond Theodicy: Faith-Shaking Trauma and the “Purely Intellectual” Approach

(9) Beyond Closure: “Re-mystifying” Analytic Philosophy of Religion

Works Cited