Princeton University

Work in this area is centered on relations between religion and philosophy, including religious uses of philosophical ideas, philosophical criticisms of religion, and philosophical issues in the study of religion. Critical attention is given to theories of knowledge and meaning, social-scientific theories of religion, and to problems of historical understanding and textual interpretation.

The General Examination in this field normally consists of four parts, all of which may be article-length papers, including one unit on a classic text written before 1900 treated in its historical context, a review essay on an important recent book in the field, a unit on a conceptual problem, and a unit administered outside the Department, most often by a member of the Department of Philosophy. Students are expected to gain familiarity not only with recent developments in Continental and British-American philosophy, but also with historical materials from both Western and non-Western traditions. Students in Religion and Philosophy draw on resources throughout the humanities departments, especially in the Department of Philosophy, which includes many distinguished figures.