Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Discerning Progress in Schellenberg's Evolutionary Religion

Palmqvist, Carl-Johan LU (2024) In Zygon 59(2). p.436-455
Abstract
John L. Schellenberg has suggested that we should guide the evolution of religion towards the goal of discovering the truth about transcendent reality. I argue that we need some way of discerning progress if this project is to be practically feasible. I explore what discernible progress would require in some possible future scenarios. Focus lies on scenarios involving improved cognitive contact with the transcendent, but I also consider scenarios involving only cultural change, and scenarios where no transcendent reality exists. I conclude that whether progress can be discerned varies heavily between different versions of these scenarios and I therefore suggest that we are currently too ignorant to get the project started.
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Future of Religion, Schellenberg, Evolutionary Religion, Agnosticism, Religious Progress
in
Zygon
volume
59
issue
2
pages
20 pages
publisher
Open Library of Humanities
external identifiers
  • scopus:85208380358
ISSN
0591-2385
DOI
10.16995/zygon.11206
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0f88b2b0-82ff-44d8-b2de-b1ce41480b93
date added to LUP
2024-02-19 15:17:12
date last changed
2025-10-14 10:22:21
@article{0f88b2b0-82ff-44d8-b2de-b1ce41480b93,
  abstract     = {{John L. Schellenberg has suggested that we should guide the evolution of religion towards the goal of discovering the truth about transcendent reality. I argue that we need some way of discerning progress if this project is to be practically feasible. I explore what discernible progress would require in some possible future scenarios. Focus lies on scenarios involving improved cognitive contact with the transcendent, but I also consider scenarios involving only cultural change, and scenarios where no transcendent reality exists. I conclude that whether progress can be discerned varies heavily between different versions of these scenarios and I therefore suggest that we are currently too ignorant to get the project started.}},
  author       = {{Palmqvist, Carl-Johan}},
  issn         = {{0591-2385}},
  keywords     = {{Future of Religion; Schellenberg; Evolutionary Religion; Agnosticism; Religious Progress}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{436--455}},
  publisher    = {{Open Library of Humanities}},
  series       = {{Zygon}},
  title        = {{Discerning Progress in Schellenberg's Evolutionary Religion}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.16995/zygon.11206}},
  doi          = {{10.16995/zygon.11206}},
  volume       = {{59}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}