Deep Structure and the Comparative Philosophy of Religion
Author(s)
Levine, Michael P.
Abstract
The deep structural approach to comparative religion developed by Ronald M. Green is too reductionistic to account for religious complexity. Green identifies the deep structure of religion as moral reason and produces a Hegelian ranking in which Christianity is described as superior to other traditions such as the Chinese. Green’s deep structure describes only the formal characteristics, not the actual content of religions. Methodological pluralism, which allows anthropological, sociological, psychological and other approaches, is more capable of reflecting the actual complexity of religions.
