Theories and Methods

  • The Past and Future of Theory and Method?
  • The Atlantic Monthly
    http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/95nov/warring/indiffer.htm
    ["Universities and Religious Indifference," by Bernard Iddings Bell was published in the magazine in September 1932, and was reprinted in November 1995. Although well intentioned, the author sounds what has to be a wrong note today by writing as if the word 'religion' were simply interchangeable with the word 'Christian'. Also see the list of archived articles relevant to religion and its study.]

  • Ancient Methods of Inquiry Socratic Greece
  • Ancient Greece: Chronology
    http://eawc.evansville.edu/chronology/grpage.htm
    [Chronological context for the "Exploring Anicent World Cultures" resources at Evansville University.]
  • The Last Days of Socrates
    http://socrates.clarke.edu/
    [An excellent series of pages from Clarke College in Iowa. Four early dialogues — the Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo — are the basis for this useful web resource.]
  • Plato's Tetralogies
    http://phd.evansville.edu/tetralog.htm
    [An ambitious and as yet incomplete resource at Evansville University which divides the Platonic dialogues into the traditional groups of four and develops teaching categories on that basis.]
  • Apology
    http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/apology.htm
    [A useful background statement on the Apology from Brooklyn College.]

  • Early Modern Emphasis on Method: René Descartes (1596-1650)
  • Texts & Contexts: Descartes
    http://199.237.178.169/scripts/tc.dll/tc
    [Brief introduction to Descartes, with information about other thinkers relevant to the formation of paradigms in Religious Studies as well.]
  • René Descartes
    http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/d/descarte.htm
    [A brief biography and philosophical assessment.]
  • The Window: Philosophers
    http://www.trincoll.edu/academics/departments/phil/philo/phils/">
    [Another brief introduction with selected links, along with introductions to several other philosophers.]
  • Development of Western Civilization: Revolutions.
    http://history.evansville.net/revoluti.html
    [Sets Descartes and modernity in an influential set of contexts.]
  • Basic works in English translation:
  • Discourse on Method
    http://www.religiousworlds.com/text/demethod.html
  • Meditations on First Philosophy
    http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/text/descart/des-med.txt

  • Enlightenment Naturalism and Skepticism: David Hume
  • David Hume (1711-1776)
    http://www.utm.edu/research/hume/hume.html
    [The above link is to the Hume Archives, which is definitely the place to begin. See also Ty's David Hume Homepage and The Hume Society page.]

  • Modern Reason and Subjectivity: Kant, Hegel, Fries, Otto, and Nietzsche
  • Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
    http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/Kant.html
    [Begin with the above link to Steve Palmquist's excellent "Kant on the Web" page in Hong Kong. Among encyclopedia treatments, see Philosophy of Immanuel Kant in the online edition of the old Catholic Encyclopedia. Also see Immanuel Kant Links. Finally, from the Department of Philosophy at the University of California at Davis, see some links and information on Kant and particularly a brief statement which locates Kant's critical-metaphysical intent.]
  • G. W. F. Hegel (1770-1831)
    http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5079/hegel.html
    [A basic introduction to the polymath in his role as a philosopher of history.]
  • Jakob Friedrich Fries (1773-1843)
    http://www.friesian.com/
    [The page for The Proceedings of the Friesian School is the place to begin.]
  • Rudolf Otto (1869-1937)
    http://www.netrax.net/~galles/
    [An excellent resource on Otto by Gregory Alles. There is also reference to Otto on a page for The Proceedings of the Friesian School.]
  • Frederich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900)
    http://infonectar.com/nietzsche/intro.html
    [Another influential side of the late nineteenth century.]

  • New World Metaphysics: American Pragmatism
  • William James (1842-1910)
    http://www.emory.edu/EDUCATION/mfp/james.html
    [Well presented links to writings by James and commentary on James at a page maintained by Professor Frank Pajares at Emory University. Do not miss James' own essay on "the Ph.D. octopus" there. Locally available is The Webbing of William James, by Marc Fonda. There is also a useful paper by Jonathan Schull called William and the World Wide Web.]

  • Process Thought
  • Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947)
    link to be established

  • Systems Theory
  • Gregory Bateson (1904-1980)

  • Perennialism, Primordialism, or Neo-Traditionalism
  • Titus Burckhardt (1908-1984)
    [An outline of his life and works from World Wisdom Books.]
  • Frithjof Schuon (b.1907)
    [A brief biography and book list from World Wisdom Books.]
  • Huston Smith
    [In addition to the interview titled "The Psychology of Religious Experience" that offers a point of entry into Huston Smith's thought, there is a brief news feature that was produced in connection with the television series on interviews with Bill Moyers in an archive of a news feature service.]
  • Ken Wilber
    [A home page sponsored by Shambhala publishers. One of Wilber's critics is sociologist and cult-watcher David C. Lane who has a multi-faceted page called Neural Surfer.]

  • Mythology and Psychology
  • Joseph Campbell (1904-87)
    [Joseph Campbell Foundation home page. See also The Joseph Campbell Tribute Page and a brief introduction to Campbell provided by a video company For a severe critique from a standpoint within the frame of evangelical Protestant apologetics, see Myth Perceptions, Joseph Campbell's Power of Deceit by Dr. Tom Snyder.]
  • Mircea Eliade (1907-1986)
    [A comprehensive online site is needed, at the moment one must rely on the otherwise useful Proceedings of the Friesian School.]
  • Sigmund Freud (1856-1940)
    [A collection of links on, about, and in response to Freud.]
  • Carl Gustav Jung (1905-1961)
    [There are several Jung sites, including the Jung Web. See also a short glossary of Jungian terms — part of the C. G. Jung Page. Also worth noting is Marc Fonda's Notes on Jung which includes his lecture notes on Jung's Answer to Job. Finally, the Archetypal Astrology page of Michael McLay at the University of Missouri has a list of Jung links and the Guild for Psychological Studies in San Francisco is one of the several professional organizations devoted to Analytical Psychology.]
  • Personality and Consciousness
    http://www.wynja.com/personality/theorists.html
    [Brief sketches and links on theorists Freud, Jung, Adler, Kelly, Lewin, Maslow, Rogers, Skinner, Tart, and Buddhist psychology. Part of a site on Greater Anthropology maintained by Eric Pettifor of Simon Fraser University.]
  • Charles T. Tart
    http://www.religiousworlds.com/mystic/tartlink.html
    [Links and resources concerning the work of a contributer toward a state-specific theory of consciousness that could have relevance for the interpreation of religious experience.]

  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Dead Sociologists' Index
    [A well-organized collection of links to sites providing information about Addams, Comte, Cooley, DuBois, Durkheim, Martineau, Marx, Mead, Pareto, Park, Simmel, Sorokin, Spencer, Thomas, Veblen, Weber. Maintained by Larry R. Ridener.]
  • Ernest Becker
    http://faculty.washington.edu/nelgee/
    [A page for the Ernest Becker foundation which offers recent articles inspired by Becker's work.]
  • Peter L. Berger
    http://www.bu.edu/sth/faculty/berger.htm
    [See the short essay God in a World of Gods by this North American sociologist of religion, Christian, and economic conservative. From the journal First Things. See also a brief synopsis of Berger's homeless mind thesis.]
  • Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
    http://www.relst.uiuc.edu/durkheim/
    [Durkheim Pages maintained by Robert Alun Jones at the University of Illinois, USA. See, in particular, his summary treatment of Durkheim's Elementary Forms of the Religious Life.]
  • Rene Girard
    http://starwww.uibk.ac.at/theologie/theologie-en.html
    [A searchable database for Girard at Innsbruck.]
  • Max Weber (1864-1920)
    http://www.ne.jp/asahi/moriyuki/abukuma/
    [Moriyuki Abukuma's excellent Weberian sociology of religion web site.]

  • Economics and Rational Choice
  • Economics of Religion
    http://www.economicsofreligion.com/
    [A resource page maintained by Laurence R. Iannaccone of George Mason University.]
  • Economics of Religion Download Page
    http://gunston.doit.gmu.edu/liannacc/Downloads/iannaccone.html
    [A source for articles authored by Laurence R. Iannaccone of the Department of Economics at George Mason University.]
  • Spiritual Capital
    http://www.templeton.org/spiritualcapital/
    [A book project funded by the Templeton Foundation.]
  • Christian Theology and Economics: A Reading Guide
    http://www.zadok.org.au/papers/oslington/oslington9808.shtml
    [A bibliography by Paul Oslington.]

  • Other Theory and Method Pages
  • Dictionary of Feminist Theologies
    http://www.yale.edu/adhoc/research_resources/dictionary/
    [Mainly Christian and North American in its focus.]
  • Method & Theory in the Study of Religion
    http://thealtons.ca/MandT/
    [A searchable guide to specialized bibliography in the academic study of religion. Part of a project led by Bruce Alton of Centre for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. Dr. Alton provides a few links to other relevant web-sites, too.]

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