Contra Penner, What's Really Wrong with Functional Explanations
Hans Penner offered a prominent line of criticism of social functionalism in the study of religion. Penner took exception to social-functional claims when these are presented as explanations. Following Carl Hempel, he argued that such explanations very often commit the logical fallacy of affirming t...
| Published in: | Journal of the American Academy of Religion |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2018]
|
| In: |
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
|
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Penner, Hans H. 1934-2012
/ Functionalism
/ Science of Religion
/ Martin, Craig 1976-, A critical introduction to the study of religion
|
| RelBib Classification: | AA Study of religion AD Sociology of religion; religious policy |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Hans Penner offered a prominent line of criticism of social functionalism in the study of religion. Penner took exception to social-functional claims when these are presented as explanations. Following Carl Hempel, he argued that such explanations very often commit the logical fallacy of affirming the consequent. I argue that Penner was wrong about social functionalism. I draw on the work of some contemporaries of Penner who rejected Hempel's model of scientific explanation and defended the propriety of social-functional explanation, particularly in connection with Marxian theory, and argue that rather than being functionalism's Achilles' heel, explanation is its foundation. I then apply my position to a recent book by Craig Martin that advocates for social functionalism in the study of religion. I conclude that, because it marginalizes explanation, the book offers little in the way of reasons to think that religious phenomena serve social functions. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1477-4585 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Academy of Religion, Journal of the American Academy of Religion
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jaarel/lfy002 |