Religious Pluralisms: From Homogenization to Radicality

Among the philosophical and theological responses to the phenomenon of religious diversity, religious pluralism has been both prominent and influential. Of its various proponents, John Hick and John Cobb represent two important figures whose respective positions, especially that of Hick, have done m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSophia Vol. 59; no. 2; pp. 311 - 331
Main Author Burley, Mikel
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.06.2020
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects
Ecumenism
Education
Hick, John
Homogenization
Multiculturalism & pluralism
Non-Western Philosophy
Phenomenology
Philosophy
Philosophy of Religion
Religious Studies
Religious diversity
John Hick
Radical pluralism
D. Z. Phillips
Contemplative philosophy of religion
John Cobb
Religious pluralism
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Summary:Among the philosophical and theological responses to the phenomenon of religious diversity, religious pluralism has been both prominent and influential. Of its various proponents, John Hick and John Cobb represent two important figures whose respective positions, especially that of Hick, have done much to shape the debate over religious pluralism. This article critically analyses their positions, arguing that, by unhelpfully homogenizing religious perspectives, each of them fails to do justice to the radical diversity that exists. As an alternative to these homogenizing tendencies, the article builds upon D. Z. Phillips’ contemplative conception of philosophy to develop a radical pluralist approach, which prioritizes a deepening of understanding of religious diversity rather than the promotion of one’s own theological preferences.
ISSN:0038-1527
1873-930X
DOI:10.1007/s11841-017-0636-3