Philosophy? Religion? Philosophical Religion? Religious
Philosophy?
Recently, I had a fascinating discussion with a friend of
mine. Somehow, we got onto the topic of
Philosophy and Religion as “Paths” or major guiding factors in one’s life. The conversation ran the spectrum from the
ancient religions and philosophers right up to the more modern day schools of
thought and modern religions (new religions and institutionalized religions).
Can Philosophy NOT be a part of Religion?
Can Religion NOT be a part of Philosophy? Where is the line between Religion
and Philosophy? When does it cease to be one thing and become the other? Is
that good or bad? Are there
characteristics that one has that the other doesn’t and vise-versa? Interesting
questions and we didn’t settle on any answers. :-)
A few words that we came up with that to describe Religion
and Philosophy follow:
Religion – devotion, service, ardor, faith, ineffable, Mystery,
values, ethics/civics, ecstatic, aesthetics
Philosophy – logic, values, reality, theory, intellectual,
intellectual understanding, reason, reasoned thought aesthetics, ethics
Now, just to muddy the waters, here are some dictionary
definitions for Religion and Philosophy:
Definition of RELIGION
>
b (1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2)
: commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance
2 : a personal
set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices
3 archaic :
scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness
4 : a cause,
principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith
And a second definition from the
Cambridge Dictionary -
-
And from the Cambridge Dictionary:
-
* the belief in and worship of a god
or gods, or any such system of belief and worship
-
the Christian religion
-
* informal an activity which someone
is extremely enthusiastic about and does regularly
Definition of PHILOSOPHY
1 a (1) :
all learning exclusive of technical precepts and practical arts (2) :
the sciences and liberal arts exclusive of medicine, law, and theology philosophy
> (3) : the 4-year college course
of a major seminary b (1) archaic : physical science (2) : ethics c : a discipline comprising as its core logic,
aesthetics, ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology
2 a :
pursuit of wisdom b : a search for a general understanding of
values and reality by chiefly speculative rather than observational means c
: an analysis of the grounds of and concepts expressing fundamental
beliefs
3 a : a
system of philosophical concepts b : a theory
underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought philosophy
of war>
4 a :
the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group b
: calmness of temper and judgment befitting a philosopher
And a second
definition from the Cambridge Dictionary –
Philosophy:
• the use of reason in understanding such things as the
nature of reality and existence, the use and limits of knowledge and the
principles that govern and influence moral judgment
René
Descartes is regarded as the founder of modern philosophy.
See also: PhD
the philosophy of sth
a group of theories and ideas related to the understanding
of a particular subject
the
philosophy of education/religion/science
• a particular system of beliefs, values and principles
the
Ancient Greek philosophy of Stoicism
• informal - someone's outlook on life and their way of
dealing with it
Live
now, pay later - that's my philosophy of life!
I see Philosophy being in the realm of Thought and Intellect
– looking for answers and explanations that are “logical and rational” and, to
a certain extent, impersonal.
I see Religion being in the realm of the heart and Wonder/Mystery –
looking for answers and explanations that are both personal and universal yet ineffable.
Modern Paganism and related paths seem to run the entire length of the
spectrum from Religion to Philosophy but usually (in my experience) fall
somewhere in between the two with characteristics of both.
However, there are 2 components that I see in Religious Paths that I do not see in Philosophical Schools: service and
devotion.
So, a question to you - if a Path is exclusively “Intellectual” (no
service/devotion or sense of wonder/Mystery), is it a Philosophy or can it also
be a Religion?
What do you think?
This just in -
Religion seeks to experience Mystery.
Religion seeks to experience Mystery.
Philosophy seeks to explain Mystery.
Hmmmmm.
