A Phenomenology of Religion

This book explores the possibility of a phenomenology of religion that is ontological; founded on Martin Heidegger s philosophical thought. The book attempts to utilise Heidegger s formulation of phenomenology as ontology while also engaging in a critical relation with his path of thinking; as a barrier to the phenomenological interpretation of the meaning of Religion. This book formulates Religion as an ontological problem wherein the primary question becomes: how are humans, in our being, able to be religious and thus also able to understand the meaning of religion or something like religion ? This book provides two interrelated arguments: the provision of an interpretation of Religion as an existential phenomenon, and an interpretation of Religion in its ground of being-human. With regard to the former, I argue that Religion signifies a potential relation with the originary ground of life as meaningful. Accordingly, the second interpretation discloses the meaning of Religion as grounded in being-human; that for humans in our being, the meaning of life is an intrinsic question/dilemma for us. This being-characteristic, I argue, can be called belief.

Autorentext

Angus Brook, PhD: Studied philosophy of Religion at the University of Sydney. Currently Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney Campus.