Post-Doc, Philosophy and Moral Sciences
Doctoral Assistant
Thesis Title: Religious atheism
|
Prof. Dr. Else Walravens
|
About
In general, I am interested in the philosophy of religion with special attention to the Radical Enlightenment, radical atheism (Jean Meslier, baron d'Holbach, Sylvain Maréchal) and New Atheism (Michel Onfray, Richard Dawkins, Daniel C. Dennett, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens).
However, my doctoral research was focused on the topic of 'religious atheism'. Starting from William James's pragmatism and his analysis of religious experience, I try to answer the question whether or not atheists can have religious experiences. Mainly based on James's approach, I tend however to look for similar analysis (e.g. in the works of Erich Fromm and the Belgian philosopher Leo Apostel).
My goal is to construct a framework of the phenomenology of religious experience and apply it to case studies (in casu, atheists who claim to have had 'religious' and/or 'mystical' experiences).
My current research is focused on what one might call 'positive' or 'constructive' atheism. Once again, William James and Leo Apostel are the main sources of inspiration. William James's anarchism, meliorism and his 'ontology of possibility' present interesting parallels with Leo Apostel's positive atheism. More info later...
Contact Information
| Homepage: | http://www.vub.ac.be/infovoor/onderzoekers/researc |
