Religion in the Age of Enlightenment
Keywords
Religion in the Age of Enlightenment, theology, Vico and Hume
Abstract
Whereas Eastern religions are typically defined by their practices, Western religions are identified by their theological histories, beginning with the covenant between God and Abraham. These theological histories chart a cultural progress marked by divine intrusions or revelations. In contrast, modern secular histories suggest that nature, humanity, and knowledge are progressing without the need for supernatural intervention. Moreover, while traditional religions typically claimed that ultimate truth had already been revealed, Enlightenment progressivism holds that truth is not yet absolutely known, that knowledge is still evolving, and that further progress in truth depends only on natural reason. With the coming of the modern age, theological histories have given way to humanistic histories.
Recommended Citation
Fairlamb, Horace L.
(2012)
"Religion, Evolution, and Sensibility: Vico and Hume on the History of Religion,"
Religion in the Age of Enlightenment: Vol. 3, Article 8.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/rae/vol3/iss1/8