A Primal Perspective on the Philosophy of ReligionWhat am I trying to accomplish through the exercise which I have undertaken, namely, to examine the philosophy of religion in the light of primal religions? If to choose someone else’s expression to characterize one’s own intellectual endeavour is an indication of one’s own lack of imagination, then I must plead guilty to that charge; but not to that of lack of gratitude, for I have to thank Robin Horton for describing, better than I can, what I have attempted in the book. It is an exercise in what he calls “translational understanding. ” I quote him now: By ‘translational understanding’, I mean the kind of understanding of a particular thought-system that results from the successful translation of the language and conceptual system that embody it into terms of a language and conceptual system that currently enjoy ‘world’ status. In talking of translation, of course, I am not just talking of the provision of dictionary equivalents for individual words or sentences. I am talking about finding a ‘world-language’ equivalent for a whole realm of discourse, and of showing, in ‘world-language’ terms, what the point of that realm of discourse is in the life of the people who use it. Translation, in this broader sense, can be very arduous. There may be no realm of discourse in the ‘world’ language that exactly fits the bill. We may have to bend and refashion existing realms, and even redefine their guiding intentions. |
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aborigines African religions argument basic becomes belief body called CHAPTER Christian Cited claim cognitive concept context creation creator cultures death deity developed distinction divine doctrine Durkheim earth Editor in Chief Elaine Pagels evil existence expression F.M. Bergounioux fact faith Geoffrey Parrinder God’s hierophany Hindu Hinduism holy Hopi Hopi language human Huston Smith Ibid idea Indian instance Jamake Highwater John H John Hick Joseph Goetz lives living-dead magic Mbiti means Mircea Eliade modern monotheism moral myths nature object one’s person philosophy of religion possible present primal perspective primal religions primal religious tradition primitive process theology proposition question reality reincarnation relation Religion New York religious language revelation ritual sacred scriptures sense shaman society soteriology soul spirit supreme symbols theism theodicy theology theory things thought traditional religions tribal understanding universe Vine Deloria Wakan Wakan Tanka Western Wilhelm Dupré Wintu word