Turning the tables: The history of philosophy as a field of inquiry for religious studies

The chapter attempts to reverse a long-standing trend. Academic religious studies have long been assimilators of concepts and methods established in other disciplines, so much so that the separate identity of religious studies has been questioned by leading practitioners. The present chapter proposes the contrary opinion that religious studies have much to offer other disciplines. In this vein it suggests that the historiography of philosophy, in particular, could profit by taking its cue from the terminology and research interests of religious studies. Using Stoicism as its central case study, the chapter explores inter alia the analytical usefulness of Ninian Smartʼs differentiation between seven dimensions of religion and also of the concept of ‘lived religion’. Finally, the chapter reflects on what the academic study of religion stands to gain by engaging with the history of philosophy.