Abstract
The ramifications of postmodernism for theology have been discussed voluminously. I want to consider the ramifications of postmodernism for the social scientific study of religion, which above all means for theories of religion. Those ramifications are wholly negative: postmodernism opposes theories, and does so because it opposes generalizations. Objections to generalizations and thereby to theories in the social sciences long antedate the rise of postmodernism, but earlier objections are on modernist grounds. Postmodernism is oblivious to these criticisms and instead assumes that criticism begins with postmodernism itself Where at least some modernist criticisms are not easily answerable, all post-modern criticisms are easily answerable, for all of them rest on confusions about theorizing.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 157-171 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of the American Academy of Religion |
Volume | 74 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2006 |