Philosophy of Religions

Researching Philosophy from a religious perspective is a very popular way to complete a dissertation. Whether you want to discuss religious experiences, diversity or the spiritual life, the philosophy of religions could be the subject for you!

Example philosophy of religions dissertation topic 1:

Rousseau, Plato and the concept of civil religion.

Within the chapter ‘On civil religion’ of Book IV of the Social Contract Rousseau discusses how institutions of state contribute to the preservation of regime. In so doing he suggests that when citizens deviate from general will (when seeing such a course as advantageous) the regime is at its greatest level of threat. In so doing he can be seen to be echoing the sentiments that he expressed in the Second Discourse regarding civil religion as being a legal institution. He accordingly notes that “[a]s men began to look to the future and as they all saw themselves with some goods (quelques biens) to lose’, and that ‘there was not one of them who did not have to fear reprisals against himself for wrongs (torts) he might to do another,” (Rousseau, Second Discourse, p. 154. Emile, pp. 97-99). Immediately thereafter Rousseau notes the role of Ceres (the Roman God of Harvest) and in so doing can be seen to be using religion as a basic for civil law. This dissertation seeks to compare and contrast Rousseau’s use of gods and civil religion as a means of strengthening the legislator with that used by Plato in The Laws.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Angrosino, M. (2002). ‘Civil religion redux’, Anthropological Quarterly, Vol. 75(2), pp. 239-267.
• Rousseau, J-J. (1979). Emile, or On education. (Translated by A. Bloom.) New York: Basic Books.
• Rousseau, J-J. (1993). Discourse on the origins of inequality (Second Discourse), Polemics, and political economy. (Translated by J.R. Bush, R.D.
• Masters, C. Kelly, and T. Marshall.) Hanover, NH: Dartmouth University Press.