Religion and Reductionism

Methodological concerns over reductionism in the study of religion have de fined much of the recent scholarship in religious studies, especially the writings of social scientists.With a few notable exceptions, such as Daniel Pals, con troversies over reductionism have usually consisted of social scientific reduc tionists debating the issues, with the nonreductionist or antireductionist schol ars of religion simply ignoring the criticisms posed by reductionist scholars.Perhaps the most determined defender of reductionism has been Robert Segal, and his main target has been Mircea Eliade.For the most part, reductionists such as Segal have attacked the nonreductionist scholars for being methodol ogically uncritical and unscientific and for assuming and endorsing a personal religious commitment.For the most part, nonreductionists or antireductionists such as Eliade have simply ignored the criticism while often condemning reduc tionists for employing a methodology inappropriate for the legitimate study of religion.Religion and Reductionism grew out of a conference held in 1990 at Miami University in Ohio, although most of the contributors to this volume did not attend that conference.The conference discussion focused on Segal's essay, "In Defense of Reductionism," published in Journal of the American Academy of Relig ion (March 1983), and

Epistemology · Reductionism · Social science · Sociology · Biblical Studies and Interpretation · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies