Philosophy of Religion
The Philosophy of Religion emerges where religious belief and common sense meet, and can be defined as philosophical reflection on religious questions. It can appear in many different academic contexts, but is in our country associated first and foremost with Theology. There, it belongs to Systematic Theology, together with dogmatics and ethics.
The relation between faith and reason has often been a tense one. This has also marked the philosophy of religion as a theological discipline. The tension can be said to concern the relation between the particular and the general in Christianity. Should general philosophy or particular theological positions lay the premises? Is philosophy a preparation that lays the groundwork for theology – or is it rather theology’s post-reflection? And, regardless of one’s point of view on these questions, what parts of philosophy can and should be brought into play: ontology, epistemology, or simply logic?
Theological philosophy of religion was long split over such questions. In recent time, this struggle has lessened considerably, including at our faculty. This is partially because Theology for us to an increasing extent has oriented its use of general reason towards cultural expressions, and has thereby gathered a great deal of inspiration and thoughts from disciplines such as cultural theory, literary theory, aesthetics, semiotics and the philosophy of language, as well as from social anthropology and sociology. This is also related to religious pluralisation; general reasonable reflection on religious questions and phenomena are no longer the preserve of Christianity.
The philosophy of religion at the Faculty of Theology is part of the job description of two professors, but the borders to other disciplines have become less sharp, and large parts of the systematic-theological environment is concerned with the philosophy of religion. This is also reflected in our research fellows, who show a strong interest for dissertation work on questions in the philosophy of religion. These have partly been of a classical character, and partly been marked by a recent turn towards the field of culture and increased attention to current religious plurality.
Permanent staff connected to the research area:
- Svein Aage Christoffersen, Professor
- Trond Skard Dokka, Professor
- Kjetil Grandal, Lecturer
- Kjetil Hafstad, Professor
- Oddbjørn Leirvik, Professor
- Trygve E. Wyller, Professor
Research fellows connected to the research area:
International Networks:
- Nordic Society for the Philosophy of Religion - NSPR
- Philosophy of Religion in Northern Europe – PRINE