Origins of Religion

What kinds of explanations can we give of religious phenomena? Does a naturalist or evolutionary perspective give us a sufficient command of the phenomenon or are there other equally relevant viewpoints on religion, such as those arising from different philosophical traditions, theology, or anthropology? What is the relation between religious faith and the human life? These and other questions pertaining to the origins and nature of religion are addressed in this collection that brings together nineteen newly commissioned essays written by Nordic and European scholars. The collection presents philosophical analyses informed both by the analytic and the continental traditions, offering discussion of the work of such thinkers as Porphyry, Iamblichus, Hegel, Heidegger, Levinas, Wittgenstein, C. S. Lewis, Swinburne, and Plantinga. The perspectives provided also include cognitive science of religion, pragmatism, the theory of recognition, and ecumenics. The book is primarily intended for the scholarly community, but anyone seeking an academically informed understanding of the phenomenon of religion will benefit from reading the collection.