The future of philosophy of religion

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Sebastian Gäb
• Subject Area: Theoretical Philosophy
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 471277286

Philosophy of religion in its current (mostly analytical) shape has reached a somewhat dead end. This is due to (a) the identification of religion with theism; (b) a focus on Christianity as the paradigm of religion; and (c) the further entrenchment between analytic and continental approaches. Therefore, philosophy of religion is in need of renewal with regard to its self-understanding, its objects, and its methods. Current discussions about renewing philosophy of religion are mostly restricted to the anglophone world and dominated by the approaches characteristic for anglophone analytic philosophy of religion, while the German-language context with its own, rich philosophical traditions, is mostly ignored. With regard to this situation, the network aims at making a twofold contribution to the ongoing debate about renewing philosophy of religion: First, it will introduce the current international debate into the scientific communities of German and Austrian philosophy of religion and establish connections to current discourses within these communities. Second, the network will introduce new approaches into the international debate. Our aim is to start a process of self-reflection and dialogue within (analytic) philosophy of religion about its purpose, its methods, and its objects, thereby creating a starting point for fruitful new research.

• DFG Programme: Scientific Networks
• Co-Investigator: Professor Dr. Georg Gasser