Imagining the human: applying the philosophy of religious studies to Jonathan Z. Smith

Distinguishing between philosophy of religious studies as intra-scientific methodological reflection and philosophy of religion as extra-scientific commitment to values, this article demonstrates the benefits of integrating both, applying critical reflection to the latter as well. As a case study, i...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. VerfasserIn: Fujiwara, Satoko 1963- (VerfasserIn)
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
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Veröffentlicht: 2024
In: Religion
Jahr: 2024, Band: 54, Heft: 4, Seiten: 660–676
weitere Schlagwörter:B Philosophy of religious studies
B Philosophy of religion
B Humanity
B Structuralism
B Claude Lévi-Strauss
B History
B Jonathan Z. Smith
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Zusammenfassung:Distinguishing between philosophy of religious studies as intra-scientific methodological reflection and philosophy of religion as extra-scientific commitment to values, this article demonstrates the benefits of integrating both, applying critical reflection to the latter as well. As a case study, it focuses on Jonathan Z. Smith’s concepts of humanity and history. Smith’s strategic blend of history and morphology aligns with his extra-scientific vision of humanity, which derived not merely from methodological choices but from philosophical reflection. By comparing Smith’s structuralist arguments with Lévi-Straussian structuralism – interpreted as antihumanism – the article reveals that Smith’s humanistic orientation was embedded in North-American social and academic contexts. It thus advocates for a nuanced examination of religious studies’ philosophical underpinnings, suggesting that, without such analysis, the work of even empirical scholars like Smith might be misconstrued.
ISSN:1096-1151
Enthält:Enthalten in: Religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/0048721X.2024.2388433