Religion "will inevitably appear, in the eyes of science, to be distinguished as no more than a sphere of confused ideas. If religous ideas are accorded the same value as any other conceptual system, as giving access to the mechanism of thought" (Levi-Strauss, Totemism 1962:104) Then it can be truely studied and explored to define what religion actually is.
Originally posted by Vladamir no1 Religion "will inevitably appear, in the eyes of science, to be distinguished as no more than a sphere of confused ideas. If religous ideas are accorded the same value as any other conceptual system, as giving access to the mechanism of thought" (Levi-Strauss, Totemism 1962:104) Then it can be truely studied and explored to define what religion actually is.
The purpose of religion is to provide a hint of something beyond itself . To study it would be futile without studying what it alludes to.
Originally posted by knightmeister The purpose of religion is to provide a hint of something beyond itself . To study it would be futile without studying what it alludes to.
Right, and once you have a sense of the referent, do away with the religion.
Originally posted by knightmeister The purpose of religion is to provide a hint of something beyond itself . To study it would be futile without studying what it alludes to.
No, the piont Levi-Strauss is getting at is that if we can study say, totemism as a list of categories and the emergence of logic and how man assess's his environment. And we can do this in quite a objective way as westerners, then surely we can utilise these same techniques to try and explain religion or the need for it.
12 May '06 16:111 edit
How to explore the phenomena called religion
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