A metaphysics for the study of religion: A critical reading of Russell McCutcheon. (April 2020)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- A metaphysics for the study of religion: A critical reading of Russell McCutcheon. (April 2020)
- Main Title:
- A metaphysics for the study of religion: A critical reading of Russell McCutcheon
- Authors:
- Schilbrack, Kevin
- Abstract:
- Russell McCutcheon is one of the foremost proponents of what he calls "the critical study of religion, " that is, the shift to reflect critically on the concepts used in the academic study of religion, who invented them, and why. The critical study of religion leads to the realization that the concepts with which we think were invented by particular people, at a particular historical location, for a particular purpose. What are the philosophical implications of this? McCutcheon defends a debunking or non-realist answer and contrasts this with my realist approach, and he is right to do so. This paper argues that those involved in the critical study of religion therefore face a choice between a non-realist and a realist metaphysics, that McCutcheon's arguments against realism fail, and that those who wish to offer any kind of materialist account in which religious social structures shape human agency and subjectivity should adopt a critical study of religion that is also realist.
- Is Part Of:
- Critical research on religion. Volume 8:Number 1(2020:Apr.)
- Journal:
- Critical research on religion
- Issue:
- Volume 8:Number 1(2020:Apr.)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 8, Issue 1 (2020)
- Year:
- 2020
- Volume:
- 8
- Issue:
- 1
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2020-0008-0001-0000
- Page Start:
- 87
- Page End:
- 100
- Publication Date:
- 2020-04
- Subjects:
- Russell McCutcheon -- critical realism -- idealism -- materialism -- metaphysics
Religion -- Periodicals
Religion -- Research -- Periodicals
Religion and sociology -- Periodicals
Religion and politics -- Periodicals
200.5 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.uk.sagepub.com/home.nav ↗
http://crr.sagepub.com/content/by/year ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1177/2050303219900229 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 2050-3032
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 13124.xml