An Unnatural History of Religions

The unnatural history of religions is, for good or ill, quite natural for the type of animal we are, a fact accounting for the tenacity of the supernatural in human life and society. Rightly or wrongly, Ambasciano believes this tenacity stands in the way of a truly scientific study of religion. Accordingly, he hopes his book will encourage more to adopt both methodological naturalism and philosophical naturalism. Whether or not he is successful in this endeavor, AnUnnatural History of Religions will surely challenge many in the academic study of religion, and that would be a good thing. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *
Ambasciano scrutinises the systematic failure of history of religion as a scientific discipline, tracing the dead-ends that the field ended up in during the twentieth century. He also considers some of the reasons why those paths were taken while others were left untaken. As such, he is exploring territory that lies on the mostly uninhabited borderlands of philosophy of science, sociologies of science and religion, and the cognitive sciences of science and religion … As Ann Taves has observed, there is nothing special about religion that might justify limiting the insights gained by this research. This means, in particular, that the research carried out will also cast light on questions of how it is that culture and cognition have been able to interact to produce scientific knowledge. Ambasciano – by looking at an example of a scientific discipline that sought to understand religion but, in the process, came to be overly influenced by religious considerations – presents us with an excellent case study. Somewhere in the future there may be a mature cognitive social science. So long as it does not end up getting side-tracked. * Religio *
In his deeply informed book, Leonardo Ambasciano takes to task conventional history of religions, arguing that it is driven by too many value-laden assumptions. We need to revamp our thinking drastically in the light of our post-Darwinian understanding of ourselves and the world. Even for those of us not completely convinced, again and again the author challenges us to rethink long-held assumptions – especially those too congenial to our personal values! We should all read this book. * Michael Ruse, Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, Florida State University, USA *
Should we keep nomenclatures such as ‘history of religion(s)’? Why (or why we should not) employ a postmodernist outlook in the study of religion? What does science have to offer to the study of ‘religion’? Whether one agrees with Ambasciano’s approach and replies to such complex questions or not, it is undeniable that his splendid work will require hard work to be challenged. A unique book. * Nickolas P. Roubekas, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, University of Vienna, Austria *
The History of Religion as an academic field is full of bullshit, according to Ambasciano. And we know that the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it. The author generously lends us a lot of that energy, and the result is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in the cultural phenomenon of religion. * Massimo Pigliucci, K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy, City College of New York, USA *
An Unnatural History of Religions demonstrates the ambivalent character of the study of religion. Despite the field’s attempt to detach itself from an apologetic tenor, theological, religious, and pseudo-scientific biases continue to loom large. Ambasciano explains the resilience, while not giving in to “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.” The book is richly informed, beautifully clear, and lucidly argued advocating the need to awaken from the sleep of reason. * Anders Klostergaard Petersen, Professor, Department for the Study of Religion, Aarhus University, Denmark *
The seven chapters of An Unnatural History of Religions are Ambasciano's attempt at explaining how severely the presence of cognitive biases and prejudices both ideological and antiscientific have damaged the History of Religions, so much so that a radical reconsideration of the discipline methodology cannot be delayed any longer. However, reversing the course of an entire academic discipline is no easy task - as in seafaring, one needs to know the previous route and destination of the vessel, and which coordinates are needed for a safer navigation. Ambasciano's volume answers both problems in a clear and engrossing way while underscoring the necessity of the interdisciplinary dialogue to steer the disciplinary vessel out of the shallows. * Historia Magistra *