Persons as Religious Classics: Comparative Ethics and the Theology of Bridge Concepts

This paper examines the effect of scholars’ religious commitments on how they specify their object of study and select a method appropriate to its investigation. Using recent work on the notion of “bridge concepts” and “the analogical imagination” in the comparative study of religious ethics as a ca...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Academy of Religion 2010-09, Vol.78 (3), p.687-720
Main Author: Clairmont, David A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Belief & doubt
Buddhism
Ceremonial objects
Christian ethics
Comparative method
Comparative studies
Descriptive ethics
Ethics
General subjects. History of religions. Religious anthropology
History and sciences of religions
Morality
Religion
Religious ethics
Religious practices
Studies in religion
Theology
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Summary:This paper examines the effect of scholars’ religious commitments on how they specify their object of study and select a method appropriate to its investigation. Using recent work on the notion of “bridge concepts” and “the analogical imagination” in the comparative study of religious ethics as a case study, this paper proposes persons in the process of intellectual and moral struggle with their own traditions as important and potentially fruitful objects for comparative studies of religion. Such a refocusing on the perennial appearance of persons navigating the troublesome yet profound histories of their religious communities offers important opportunities for cultivating openness, humility, and respect between the academic study of religion and those working critically from within traditions.
ISSN:0002-7189
1477-4585
DOI:10.1093/jaarel/lfq052