William James' Theory of Truth and Its Relevance for Religious Education

Authors

  • Rudi Setiawan Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy, Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15575/jis.v4i4.41184

Keywords:

Absolutism, dialogical process, pragmatic framework, religious doctrine, religious harmony.

Abstract

Religious absolutism is one of the epistemological roots behind various acts of religious intolerance that threaten the order of life in a plural, dynamic, tolerant and inclusive democratic society. This research is a study of philosophical literature that explores the ideas of William James's pragmatic theory of truth and finds its relevance to religious education in order to anticipate symptoms of religious absolutism. James challenged the absolutism of truth that had been maintained for centuries in the Western philosophical tradition. Truth does not lie in ideas or notions, but rather in the process or event of verification and validation of those ideas or notions in experience. He offers a pragmatic concept of truth that takes into account the practical consequences of ideas in experience. For him, truth should be dynamic, open, continuously growing and plural. Inspired by James' ideas, the author conveys the importance of religious truth and religious education interpreted in a more pragmatic framework. Religious truth is not only built from religious dogma or doctrine but is a reflective and dialogical process through the experience of faith, which is formed in relation to other truths. In a contemporary pluralistic society, religious education cannot be reduced to simply teaching religious doctrine or dogma. Religious education needs to be carried out within a pragmatic framework as a form of religious moderation education that pays attention to efforts to develop critical-reflective abilities to grow faith in a sustainable manner, creatively interpreting human experience, as well as forming human ethical character to maintain a harmonious life together.

References

Allen, B. (1993). Truth in philosophy. Harvard University Press.

Bakker, A., & Zubair, A. C. (2007). Metodologi penelitian filsafat.

Croce, M. (2019). Exemplarism in moral education: Problems with applicability and indoctrination. Journal of Moral Education, 48(3), 291–302.

Cronshaw, D. (2021). Finding common ground: grassroots dialogue principles for interreligious learning at university. Journal of Religious Education, 69(1), 127–144.

Gadamer, H.-G. (1975). Truth and Method. The Seabury Press.

Hadiwijono, H. (1980). Sari sejarah filsafat barat. Kanisius.

Halafoff, A., Lam, K., & Bouma, G. (2019). Worldviews education: Cosmopolitan peacebuilding and preventing violent extremism. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 40(3), 381–395.

Hardiman, F. B. (2015). Seni memahami, Hermeneutik dari Schleiermacher sampai Derrida. PT Kanisius.

Heman Ononye, U., & Igwe, A. (2019). Knowledge Sharing Process and Innovation Success: Evidence from Public Organisations in Southern Nigeria. Interdisciplinary Journal of Information, Knowledge, and Management, 14, 183–198. https://doi.org/10.28945/4358

James, M., Carrette, J., James, W., & Taylor, E. (2003). The varieties of religious experience: A study in human nature. Routledge.

James, W. (1907). Pragmatism: A new name for some old ways of thinking. New York: Longmans, Green.

James, W. (1975). The meaning of truth (Vol. 2). Harvard University Press.

Kloppenberg, J. T. (1996). Pragmatism: An old name for some new ways of thinking? JOURNAL OF AMERICAN HISTORY-BLOOMINGTON-, 83, 100–138.

Lorens, B. (1996). Kamus Filsafat. Jakarta: Gramedia.

Mukhibat, M., Istiqomah, A. N., & Hidayah, N. (2023). Pendidikan Moderasi Beragama di Indonesia (Wacana dan Kebijakan). Southeast Asian Journal of Islamic Education Management, 4(1), 73–88.

Munawaroh, I., & Kudus, W. A. (2023). Intoleransi Agama bagi Kehidupan Masyarakat Minoritas di Kota Cilegon-Banten. Jurnal Pendidikan Sosiologi Undiksha, 5(3), 240–246.

Ouyang, J., Wang, L., Zheng, B., Qiu, Q., Tian, Y., & Tang, L. (2021). Why is the ‘counter-tradition’room setting harmonious for an ancient village of China? An analysis based on landsenses ecology. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 1–8.

Parkinson, B. (2020). Intragroup Emotion Convergence: Beyond Contagion and Social Appraisal. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 24(2), 121–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868319882596

Qodir, Z. (2016). Kaum muda, intoleransi, dan radikalisme agama. Jurnal Studi Pemuda, 5(1), 429–445.

Rothermel, A.-K. (2020). Gender in the United Nations’ agenda on preventing and countering violent extremism. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 22(5), 720–741.

Samosir, L., Djunatan, S., Haq, M. Z., & Viktorahadi, R. F. B. (2023). Kiat Sukses Menulis Karya Ilmiah bagi Mahasiswa. Gunung Djati Publishing.

Saputra, I. N., Hardi, A. R., & Rahmat, R. (2022). Sikap Intoleransi pada Kehidupan Beragama di Indonesia, Studi Kasus “Cilegon, Kota Tanpa Gereja.†Moderasi: Jurnal Kajian Islam Kontemporer, 1(01).

Setiabudi, W., Paskarina, C., & Wibowo, H. (2022). Intoleransi Di Tengah Toleransi Kehidupan Beragama Generasi Muda Indonesia. Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Penelitian Sosiologi, 7(1), 50–64.

Solomon, R. C., & Higgins, K. M. (2002). Sari Sejarah Filsafat. Yogyakarta: Yayasan Benteng Budaya.

Sugiharto, B. (2019). Kebudayaan dan kondisi post-tradisi: Kajian filosofis atas permasalahan budaya abad ke-21. PT Kanisius.

Sukmayadi, Q. M. A. (2024). Generasi Z dalam Komunitas Keagamaan: Potensi Intoleransi Beragama melalui Budaya Eksklusif dalam Memahami Agama. Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.

Sutrisno, E. (2019). Aktualisasi moderasi beragama di lembaga pendidikan. Jurnal Bimas Islam, 12(2), 323–348.

Wood, D., & Medina, J. (2008). Truth: Engagements across philosophical traditions. John Wiley & Sons.

Downloads

Published

2024-12-14

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 4 (2024): Jurnal Iman dan Spiritualitas

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).