Is Scientific Study of Religion Possible
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2515273 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Morton B King (Southern Methodist University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1991 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 108 |
| Publication date | 1991-03-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-8294 • E-ISSN: 1468-5906 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/1387153 |
| OpenAlex | W2322480199 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 8 |
Most humanists and some social scientists are skeptical of a truly scientific study of human behavior, especially religious behavior. Competent scholars have raised questions which deserve serious consideration. Their main points relate to human freedom of choice and self-consciousness, to the importance of covert behaviors, and to a Biblical image of man that conflicts with that required by science. It is argued here that many scholars are misled by an outdated, mechanistic, deterministic view of science. In contrast, post-Heisenberg philosophy of gives us a perspective complementary to that of theology. Review of scientific ontology and epistemology from Karl Pearson to Stephen Hawking leads to the conclusion that twentieth-century scientific is suitable for the study of human behavior, including religious behavior. Is it really possible to study religious behavior scientifically? Most humanists are suspicious of such studies. Some social scientists also have their doubts. Reservations are strongest if by science is meant the of fields like astronomy and physics; and that is what I mean. The purpose of this essay is to defend the legitimacy of applying basic natural to the study of human behavior, including religious behavior. By is meant the basic aims, assumptions, logic, and other canons which guide specific observational and analytic procedures. The lat1ter must always be appropriate to the particular phenomena under study, and hence will vary. Pulsars and positrons, votive behavior, and violence in the streets - each has its special requirements. method begins with the formulation, based on prior knowledge and theory, of one or more hypotheses stating possible relationships between two or more variables. Observations are then made to test specific hypotheses. Such facts applied with rigorous logic (preferably mathematical) can disprove a hypothesis. If they do not, it becomes a working theory about how things happen (never in any ultimate sense why they happen), until later observations contradict it. Integrated with other such theories, *This article developed from the plenary address at a meeting of the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies, composed of the regional societies of the American Academy of Religion, Society of Biblical Literature, American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Association for the Scientific Study of Religion: Southwest. tMorton B. King is a professor of sociology, emeritus, at Southern Methodist University. Correspondence should
Epistemology · Sociology · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
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The coming crisis of western sociology
A sociology of sociology.
Can there be an empirical science of volitional action
Personal religious orientation and prejudice
A Basis for Scaling Qualitative Data
Moral Man and Immoral Science
The Concept of Man in Social Science
| Citations per year | 0.04 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2000 - 2000 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |