Religious Fictionalism

Introduces contemporary religious fictionalism, its motivation and challenges. Explores range of issues around religious fictionalism.

Robin Le Poidevin (Author)

9781108457477, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 May 2019

75 pages
23 x 15.3 x 0.5 cm, 0.13 kg

This Element is an introduction to contemporary religious fictionalism, its motivation and challenges. Among the issues raised are: can religion be viewed as a game of make-believe? In what ways does religious fictionalism parallel positions often labelled 'fictionalist' in ethics and metaphysics? Does religious fictionalism represent an advance over its rivals? Can fictionalism provide an adequate understanding of the characteristic features of the religious life, such as worship, prayer, moral commitment? Does fictionalism face its own version of the problem of evil? Is realism about theistic (God-centred) language less religiously serious than fictionalism?

Prologue
1. Religious realism – the natural view?
2. Non-realism – the garden of forking paths
3. Fictionalism and the religious life
4. Fictionalism and evil
Epilogue.

Subject Areas: Nature & existence of God [HRAB1], Philosophy of religion [HRAB]