Mainstream philosophy of religion has persistently failed to engage seriously or critically with animist beliefs and practices. The field that is now called "philosophy of religion" could quite easily be renamed "philosophy of theism" with few lecturers on the subject having to change their lecture notes. It is the aim of this volume to rectify that failure and to present animism as a live option among the plethora of religious worldviews.

The volume addresses four major questions: 1. What is this thing called "animism"? 2. Are there any arguments for or against animist belief and practice? 3. What is the relationship between animism, naturalism, and the sciences? And 4. Should we take animism seriously?

Animism and Philosophy of Religion is intended to be the first authoritative scholarly volume on the issue of animism and its place in the philosophy of religion. Ambitiously, it aims to act as the cornerstone volume for future work on the subject and as a key text for courses engaging with the subject.

Tiddy Smith is a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Massey University. He is the author of The Methods of Science and Religion (Rowman and Littlefield) and has published various articles in journals such as the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Erkenntnis, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophia.

Autorentext

Tiddy Smith is a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Massey University. He is the author of The Methods of Science and Religion (Rowman and Littlefield) and has published various articles in journals such as the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Erkenntnis, International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, and Philosophia.

Inhalt

Part 1: The Concept of Animism.- 1. Tylor's Animism and its Intellectual Aftermath; Frederico Delgado Rosa.- 2. Animism and Contemporary Anthropology; Darryl Wilkinson.- 3. Animism and the Hierarchy of Religious Knowledge; Amy Whitehouse.- 4. Animism for the Philosophy of Religion; Graham Oppy.- Part 2: Animism and Philosophy.- 5. Cognitive Science of Religion and Its Invitation to Expand the Philosophy of Religion; Helen De Cruz and Johan De Smedt.- 6. New Animism as Cultural Critique?; Mikel Burley.- 7. Childhood Animism and the Argument from Innateness; Tiddy Smith.- 8. Debunking Animism; Hans Van Egyhen.- Part 3: Animism and Naturalism.- 9. Animism Naturalized; Eric Steinhart.- 10. Animism, Naturalism, and Cognitive Pluralism; Gregory W. Dawes.- 11. Animism, Naturalism, and Ultimate Reality; Kevin Schilbrack- 12. Explaining Animism; Evan Fales.- Part 4: Animismand Society.- 13. Taking Ancestry Seriously? Opportunities and Challenges of Multi-Perspective Philosophy; Krushil Watene and Marco Grix.- 14. Mantra, Women, and Ecology; Ikhaputri Widiantini and L.G. Saraswati Putri.