Journal of the American Academy of Religion Advance Access originally published online on March 27, 2008
Journal of the American Academy of Religion 2008 76(2):420-448; doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfn001
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"He Blinded Me With Science": Science Chauvinism in the Study of Religion
Francisca Cho is Associate Professor of Buddhist Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC 20057
Richard K. Squier is Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, Washington DC 20057
E-mail: chof{at}georgetown.edu
E-mail: squier{at}cs.georgetown.edu
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Abstract |
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A number of recent publications in the study of religion address the continuing question about the legitimacy and coherence of the concept of "religion." This essay examines three particular critiques—(1) that "religion" is a Christian theological construct with questionable applications to non-Christian cultures, (2) that "religion" lacks coherence and empirical warrant as an analytical category, and (3) that the study of religion needs to be rendered more scientific through reductive theory and methods. These claims often take the natural sciences as the standard against which the study of religion is found lacking. Given the drastic nature of what these reflections on the study of religion imply or recommend, it is important to investigate whether or not such critiques are warranted. This essay argues that the study of science actually suggests more similarities than differences, and that the history and philosophy of science render the academic study of religion into a comparable "research tradition."