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Series:   Elements in the Philosophy of Religion

Religious Fictionalism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2019

Robin Le Poidevin
Robin Le Poidevin
Affiliation:
University of Leeds

Summary

This Element is an introduction to contemporary religious fictionalism, its motivation and challenges. Among the issues raised are: can religion be viewed as a game of make-believe? In what ways does religious fictionalism parallel positions often labelled 'fictionalist' in ethics and metaphysics? Does religious fictionalism represent an advance over its rivals? Can fictionalism provide an adequate understanding of the characteristic features of the religious life, such as worship, prayer, moral commitment? Does fictionalism face its own version of the problem of evil? Is realism about theistic (God-centred) language less religiously serious than fictionalism?
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Keywords

religionfictionfictionalismrealismmake-believe
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in the Philosophy of Religion
Online ISBN: 9781108558198
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 25 April 2019

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