Afro-Brazilian Religions and the Prospects for a Philosophy of Religious Practice
Religions February 24, 2023 José Eduardo Porcher, Fernando Carlucci 2 citations
The philosophy of religion has neglected practices central to traditions like Afro-Brazilian Candomblé and Umbanda—offering, sacrifice, spirit possession, and mediumship—because philosophers rely on text-based, belief-focused, institutionalized religions. Anthropologists have studied these orally transmitted traditions for nearly a century, yet philosophers lack a methodology for such practices. The authors argue this neglect is not accidental but stems from a restricted diet of examples and inattention to ethnography. They critique Kevin Schilbrack’s proposed embodiment paradigm, conceptual metaphor theory, and extended mind thesis, finding his view of language as linear, his problematic conception of the body, and his misleading account of cognitive levels inadequate. Instead, they conclude that the philosophy of religion should adopt enactivism to treat religious practices as cognitive enterprises.