General introduction

pp. 1-4

in: Eugene Long, Twentieth-century Western philosophy of religion 1900–2000, Berlin, Springer, 2000

Abstract

Philosophical reflection on religion is as old as western philosophy itself. Yet the expression "philosophy of religion" is a relatively recent addition to the history of western philosophy. Philosophy of religion, as we know it today, arose in the modern period and is associated in particular with the work of such philosophers as Hume, Kant and Hegel. They understood religion for the most part in terms of the Judaeo-Christian tradition, and the philosophy of religion was understood to be concerned with philosophical questions arising from this tradition. Among the primary issues were arguments for and against the existence of God, religious knowledge, the nature and attributes of God, human destiny, and the problem of evil. There are signs of change, as will be seen in the fourth part of this book, but these issues continue to dominate the philosophy of religion today. In dealing with these questions, philosophers of religion generally hold themselves to be independent of confessional theology, and hence free from dependence upon revelation and authority. Although the philosophy of religion might be understood to have subsumed or even replaced the natural theology of the classical period, it is also understood to be an autonomous discipline, and it is not conceived to be a preamble to revealed theology. In some cases western philosophers of religion confine themselves to what might be called the more universal characteristics of theism and have been somewhat reluctant to deal with issues peculiar to particular faiths. In other cases philosophers of religion also reflect philosophically on the beliefs and practices of particular religious traditions.