Abstract

A dissertation in philosophy of religion for the degree of Doctor of Theology at Uppsala University, this book is well-informed and carefully reasoned. Its approach is original, and it contains numerous insightful observations and arguments. The book defends three central theses. The first is that philosophical interpretations of religion are profoundly affected by the different “philosophical anthropologies” that lie behind and inform them. Zackariasson notes that these anthropologies are often unconsciously assumed by philosophers rather than being subjected to their conscious scrutiny. The second thesis is that a pragmatic anthropology provides a promising route to interpreting and understanding religious phenomena and to securing the distinctive goods of religion. The third thesis is that a pragmatic anthropology is a much more useful and illuminating way of analyzing and defending key claims in theistic religions than is the approach of most philosophy of religion in the West today.