On Essentialism and Real Definitions of Religion

This article counters the widespread view within the study of religion that a real definition of religion should be avoided. It argues that an essentialist approach is not necessarily as contentious as is often assumed and that alternatives to essentialist definitions are less well-founded than they...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Academy of Religion 2014-06, Vol.82 (2), p.495-520
Main Author: de Muckadell, Caroline Schaffalitzky
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Buddhism
Cognition
Conceptualization
Definitions
Essentialism
Morality
Philosophy
Reason
Religion
Religions
Spiritual belief systems
Stipulative definitions
Sufficient conditions
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Summary:This article counters the widespread view within the study of religion that a real definition of religion should be avoided. It argues that an essentialist approach is not necessarily as contentious as is often assumed and that alternatives to essentialist definitions are less well-founded than they may appear. The article opens with an outline of different types of definitions and a discussion of common concerns. It goes on to present a starting point for providing a real definition and ends with the suggestion that a real definition would be a valuable tool both academically and practically.
ISSN:0002-7189
1477-4585
DOI:10.1093/jaarel/lfu015