Burley, M orcid.org/0000-0002-7446-3564 (2018) Prioritizing practice in the study of religion: normative and descriptive orientations. International Journal of Philosophy and Theology, 79 (4). pp. 437-450. ISSN 2169-2327
Abstract
Calls to prioritize practice in the study of religion typically claim that attention to lived practices rather than merely to ‘belief’ is needed if a given religious tradition or instance of religiosity is to be understood. Within that broad ambit, certain empirical researchers, as well as some Wittgenstein-influenced philosophers of religion, investigate the diversity of religious practices without passing judgement, whereas certain other philosophers foreground a narrower selection of examples while deploying moral criteria to distinguish acceptable from unacceptable religion. Characterizing this methodological divergence in terms of descriptive versus normative orientations, the present article argues that while attention to practice is indeed vital, the imposition of normative evaluation is liable to inhibit an appreciation of the radical plurality of religious phenomena.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | practice; praxis; lived religion; John Cottingham; Pierre Hadot; humane philosophy of religion |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Philosophy, Religion and History of Science (Leeds) > Theology and Religious Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 16 Jun 2017 08:36 |
Last Modified: | 10 Mar 2020 01:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor and Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/21692327.2017.1344135 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:117844 |