Abstract
Experimental philosophy of religion (XPoR) uses empirical methods to investigate how people actually think and reason about religious and spiritual matters. By moving beyond reliance on the intuitions of a narrow, often Western, academic community, XPoR opens space for perspectives shaped by diverse cultural, spiritual, and social contexts. This paper draws on my work in Data Over Dogma (2024) to argue that XPoR can help transform philosophy of religion into a more globally inclusive and epistemically responsible field. Philosophical theories are often built on assumed “common sense” intuitions that, in fact, reflect only a small slice of human experience. By systematically collecting and analyzing data from across cultures—including indigenous traditions and other marginalized communities—we can uncover alternative conceptual frameworks for understanding divinity, morality, ritual, and religious experience. This shift has two major benefits. First, it promotes epistemic humility, challenging parochial assumptions and revealing the limits of our current categories. Second, it creates space for marginalized voices to shape philosophical discourse on equal footing, ensuring that global perspectives are not merely included, but allowed to influence and revise core debates. By integrating empirical inquiry with cross-cultural engagement, XPoR offers a path toward a philosophy of religion that is pluralistic in method, global in scope, and deeply attuned to the lived realities of indigenous and other diverse religious communities.
Presenters
Ian ChurchAssociate Professor, Philosophy and Theology, Hillsdale College, Michigan, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2026 Special Focus—Indigenous Spiritualities in Global Perspective
KEYWORDS
Experimental Philosophy of Religion, Pluralism, Global Perspective, Intellectual Humility
