The Mystery of Existence
Philosophy of Religion and the Existential Turn
by Ingolf U. Dalferth
Paperback (Published)
(August 2025)
ISBN: 9783374079254
Price: $110.00
On back order
Philosophy of religion, as is often demanded today, must change from a philosophy of religion to a philosophy of religions, otherwise it has no academic future in a pluralistic world. It should look at religions worldwide in all their diversity and no longer be content with a construct of religion in the tradition of Western theism. The criticism is often justified. However, the proposed alternatives do not offer a solution, but only multiply the problems. That is why this study takes a different approach. We can learn from Kant and Kierkegaard that existential problems and not questions of religion are at the center of the philosophy of religion. Philosophy of religion is not primarily concerned with knowledge about religion or religions, but with self-knowledge. Like all critical philosophy, it aims to enable self-thinking, self-assessment and self-action. This existential turn in the philosophy of religion is concretized in four central areas of existential challenges: the relationship between existence and the idea of God, between meaning, absurdity, and existence, between existence and evil, and between infinite love and finite existence. [Das Mysterium der Existenz. Religionsphilosophie und die existentielle Wende] Religionsphilosophie, so wird heute oft gefordert, muss sich von einer Religionsphilosophie zu einer Philosophie der Religionen wandeln, sonst hat sie in einer pluralistischen Welt keine akademische Zukunft. Sie sollte die Religionen weltweit in ihrer ganzen Vielfalt in den Blick nehmen und sich nicht mehr mit einem Konstrukt von Religion in der Tradition des westlichen Theismus begnugen. Die Kritik ist oft berechtigt. Die vorgeschlagenen Alternativen bieten jedoch keine Losung, sondern vervielfachen nur die Probleme. Deshalb wahlt diese Studie einen anderen Ansatz. Von Kant und Kierkegaard konnen wir lernen, dass existenzielle Probleme und nicht Fragen der Religion im Mittelpunkt der Religionsphilosophie stehen. In der Religionsphilosophie geht es nicht in erster Linie um Wissen uber Religion oder Religionen, sondern um Selbsterkenntnis. Wie jede kritische Philosophie zielt sie darauf ab, Selbstdenken, Selbstbeurteilung und Selbsthandeln zu ermoglichen. Diese existenzielle Wende in der Religionsphilosophie wird in vier zentralen Bereichen existenzieller Herausforderungen konkretisiert: dem Verhaltnis zwischen Existenz und Gottesidee, zwischen Sinn, Absurditat und Existenz, zwischen Existenz, Ubel und Bosem und zwischen unendlicher Liebe und endlicher Existenz.
- By (author) Ingolf U Dalferth
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