Chinese Folk Religious Ontology through a Fictionalist Hermeneutic: Testing Fictionalism as a Methodology for Global Philosophy of Religion

Victoria S. Harrison (University of Macau)

Much has been written over the past few decades in support of globalizing the philosophy of religion, and there is now widespread agreement that philosophy of religion should become a globally relevant discipline. There is less agreement, however, on what it means for philosophy of religion to be global and on the methodology for practicing it. In this paper, I demonstrate the value of hermeneutical fictionalism as a methodology in the field of global philosophy of religion. I utilize this approach to provide insights into a previously understudied religious ontology, specifically, the one present in traditional Chinese folk religion and the associated animistic ghost culture. I investigate the philosophical issues that arise from traditional Chinese religious ontology when viewed from a fictionalist perspective, focusing on issues surrounding the relationship between the living and the dead. I conclude that traditional Chinese folk ontology serves as an effective case study to demonstrate the value of hermeneutical fictionalism as a methodology within global philosophy of religion.