'Superstition' as a contemplative term: a Wittgensteinian perspective

Can a contemplative philosopher describe a particular religious practice as superstitious, or is he thereby overstepping his boundaries? I will discuss the way in which the Wittgensteinian philosopher of religion D. Z. Phillips uses 'Superstition' as a contemplative term. His use of the di...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kroesbergen, Hermen 1977- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Springer Nature B. V 2015
In: International journal for philosophy of religion
Year: 2015, Volume: 77, Issue: 2, Pages: 105-122
Further subjects:B Contemplative conception of philosophy
B Superstition
B BELIEF & doubt
B Prosperity Gospel
B Religion Philosophy
B D. Z. Phillips
B Faith
B Genuine religion
B Ludwig Wittgenstein
B Philosophy
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:Can a contemplative philosopher describe a particular religious practice as superstitious, or is he thereby overstepping his boundaries? I will discuss the way in which the Wittgensteinian philosopher of religion D. Z. Phillips uses 'Superstition' as a contemplative term. His use of the distinction between genuine religion and superstition is not a weakness as is often supposed, but a necessity. Without contemplating 'Superstition' and 'genuine religion' Phillips would not have been able to elucidate the meaning that religious beliefs have in the lives of both the faithful and their critics. I will defend the aptness of Phillips's use of this term and illustrate his approach using examples such as the concept of genuine friendship or gratitude, and then I apply this approach to the question whether, from a philosophical point of view, particular Christian practices such as the prosperity gospel are genuinely religious or should be called superstitious.
ISSN:1572-8684
Contains:Enthalten in: International journal for philosophy of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s11153-014-9496-8