William James and Embodied Religious Belief
Tobias Tan
Contemporary Pragmatism August 31, 2018 DOI: 10.1163/18758185-01503006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that William James's account of religious belief resembles contemporary embodied and embedded cognition accounts, particularly in its emphasis on emotion, socio-cultural context, and the action-oriented nature of belief, and proposes extending James's insights to highlight the interdependence of individual religious belief and the cognitive scaffolding of embodied religious practices. |
Abstract
Scholars have recently identified resemblances between pragmatist thought and contemporary trends in cognitive science in the area of ‘embodied cognition’ or ‘4E cognition.’ In this article I explore these resemblances in the account of religious belief provided by the classical pragmatist philosopher William James. Although James’s psychology does not always parallel the commitments of embodied cognition, his insights concerning the role of emotion and socio-cultural context in shaping religious belief, as well as the action-oriented nature of such beliefs, resonate with embodied and embedded accounts of religious belief. James’s insights are readily extended in light of contemporary embodied cognition research to highlight the interdependency between religious belief of individuals and the cognitive scaffolding provided by embodied religious practices.
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- It's Not "All in Your Head": Understanding Religion From an Embodied Cognition Perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science November 1, 2015
- EMBODIED COGNITION AND RELIGION Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science September 2, 2013
- Religion, Off-Line Cognition and the Extended Mind Journal of Cognition and Culture 2004