Alternative Conceptions of the Spiritual: Polytheism, Animism, and More in Contemporary Philosophy of Religion

(Hardback)

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Contemporary analytic philosophy of religion and philosophical theology are known for being focused on issues pertaining specifically to Judeo-Christian theism. This volume answers the call for a novel work on a broader range of ideas about god(s), engaging with key concepts and neglected recent literature from other traditions on their own accord. Alternative Conceptions of the Spiritual engages with polytheism, henotheism, pandeism, cosmopsychism, world-soul ontologies, animism and theophanism as propounded by recent philosophers and by members of lesser-known non-western faith communities, new religious movements, and esoteric groups. Treating the topics with comparative philosophical exploration and assessment, Travis Dumsday brings Christian doctrines, specifically from an Eastern Orthodox perspective, into dialogue with these alternative viewpoints. A rich and nuanced understanding of non-traditional and contemporary notions of deities, it will be welcomed by scholars of analytic philosophy of religion and theology.

Author Bio

Travis Dumsday is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University of Edmonton, USA. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Livingstone College, North Carolina. His research interests are in the philosophy of science, metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and the medieval period.