Published Papers (selection) by Amber L . Griffioen
Pluralizing Philosophy's Past, 2023
This collection of 15 accessible essays on neglected philosophical figures and traditions aims to... more This collection of 15 accessible essays on neglected philosophical figures and traditions aims to provide readers with concrete access points to less familiar philosophical sources and methods. Showcasing the latest research by both up-and-coming and well-established scholars, each essay focuses on a particular topic relevant to the pluralization of the history of philosophy and offers advice for incorporating the figure, theme, or approach into the philosophy classroom.
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TheoLogica, 2023
While much has been written on the moral and metaphysical statuses of fetuses in Christian bioeth... more While much has been written on the moral and metaphysical statuses of fetuses in Christian bioethics, little thought has been given to how we might characterize the afterlives of the unborn, especially of those human biological individuals who die before even developing a body that could theoretically be resurrected. In this paper, I therefore undertake an examination of questions surrounding the afterlife, specifically as it relates to early pregnancy loss. I first lay out what I call the "problem of weird heavens" that arises when we consider that significantly more unborn human beings have died than have been born in the history of humankind. I then go on to consider questions surrounding both the soteriological status of the embryo and the status of any resurrected "body" it might have. I conclude with the germs of of an alternative approach mirrored on the idea of embryonic resorption and mystical union.
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The Meaning of Mourning: Perspectives on Death, Loss, and Grief, Jan 2023
Issues surrounding pregnancy loss are rarely addressed in Christian philosophy. Yet a modest esti... more Issues surrounding pregnancy loss are rarely addressed in Christian philosophy. Yet a modest estimate based on the empirical and medical literature places the rate of pregnancy loss between fertilization and term at somewhere between 40–60%. If miscarriage really is as common as the research gives us to believe, then it would seem a pressing topic for a Christian philosophy of the future to address. This paper attempts to begin this work by showing how thinking more closely about pregnancy loss understood as a grievable event can have a profound impact on the way we think about particular theoretical debates in Christian philosophy and provide opportunities for the discipline to put its skills to use in the development of helpful conceptual and hermeneutical resources for those grieving such losses. However, this will require seeking out and taking seriously the testimony of those who have undergone pregnancy loss, as well as getting clearer on how best to conceptualize pregnancy and its loss in the first place.
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Res Philosophica, 2022
Medieval and early modern devotional works rarely receive serious treatment from philosophers, ev... more Medieval and early modern devotional works rarely receive serious treatment from philosophers, even those working in the subfields of philosophy of religion or the history of ideas. In this article, I examine one medieval devotional work in particular-the Middle High German image-and verse-program, Christus und die minnende Seele (CMS)-and I argue that it can plausibly be viewed as a form of medieval public philosophy, one that both exhibited and encouraged philosophical innovation. I address a few objections to my proposal-namely, that CMS is neither public enough nor that it counts as proper philosophy-and I attempt to defend CMS's public philosophical credentials in light of these objections. I conclude with a brief discussion of how devotional texts like CMS can help us do innovative public philosophy today.
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European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Mar 31, 2022
This article uses recent work in philosophy of science and social epistemology to argue for a shi... more This article uses recent work in philosophy of science and social epistemology to argue for a shift in analytic philosophy of religion from a knowledge-centric epistemology to an epistemology centered on understanding. Not only can an understanding-centered approach open up new avenues for the exploration of largely neglected aspects of the religious life, it can also shed light on how religious participation might be epistemically valuable in ways that knowledge-centered approaches fail to capture. Further, it can create new opportunities for interaction with neighboring disciplines and can help us revitalize and transform stagnant debates in philosophy of religion, while simultaneously allowing for the introduction and recovery of marginalized voices and traditions.
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Analyzing Prayer: Theological and Philosophical Essays, 2022
In this contribution to Crisp, Arcadi and Wessling’s OUP volume on prayer, I explore the possibil... more In this contribution to Crisp, Arcadi and Wessling’s OUP volume on prayer, I explore the possibility of what I call “non-doxastic" or "doxastically-qualified" theistic prayer namely prayer that proceeds without full belief in God – or in the *kind* of God who could be the recipient of such prayer. I develop a detailed provisional definition of prayer, before proceeding to discuss a few prominent forms of prayer and exploring the ways in which such prayer might legitimately be performed non-doxastically. I conclude by examining the possibility that, in some cases, certain forms of what I call “prayerful pretense” may surprisingly turn out to be more epistemically and theologically virtuous than their fully doxastic counterparts.
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Journal of Analytic Theology
This paper employs tools and critiques from analytic feminist scholarship in order to show how pa... more This paper employs tools and critiques from analytic feminist scholarship in order to show how particular values commonly on display in analytic theology have served both to marginalize certain voices from the realm of analytic theological debate and to reinforce a particular conception of the divine—one which, despite its historical roots, is not inevitable. I claim that a particular conception of what constitutes a “rational, objective, analytic thinker” often displays certain affinities with those infinite or maximal properties that analytic theologians have taken to be most relevant or essential to their theological conceptions of the divine, and I explore what thinking differently about the former might mean for how we think about the latter and vice versa.
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Cambridge Companion to Medieval Ethics, 2018
In this chapter, we examine a few potential problems when inquiring into the ethics of medieval C... more In this chapter, we examine a few potential problems when inquiring into the ethics of medieval Christian and Islamic mystical traditions: First, there are terminological and methodological worries about defining mysticism and doing comparative philosophy in general. Second, assuming that the Divine represents the highest Good in such traditions, and given the apophaticism on the part of many mystics in both religions, there is a question of whether or not such traditions can provide a coherent theory of value. Finally, the antinomian tendencies and emphasis on passivity of some mystics might lead one to wonder whether their prescriptive exhortations can constitute a coherent theory of right action. We tackle each of these concerns in turn and discuss how they might be addressed, in an attempt to show how medieval mysticism, as a fundamentally practical enterprise, deserves more attention from practical and moral philosophy than it has thus far received.
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Religions, 2018
From a theoretical standpoint, the problem of human suffering can be understood as one formulatio... more From a theoretical standpoint, the problem of human suffering can be understood as one formulation of the classical problem of evil, which calls into question the compatibility of the existence of a perfect God with the extent to which human beings suffer. Philosophical responses to this problem have traditionally been posed in the form of theodicies, or justifications of the divine. In this article, I argue that the theodical approach in analytic philosophy of religion exhibits both morally and epistemically harmful tendencies and that philosophers would do better to shift their perspective from the hypothetical “God’s-eye view” to the standpoint of those who actually suffer. By focusing less on defending the epistemic rationality of religious belief and more on the therapeutic effectiveness of particular imaginings of God with respect to suffering, we can recover, (re)construct, and/or (re)appropriate more virtuous approaches to the individual and collective struggle with the life of faith in the face of suffering.
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Special Divine Action Project, 2018
Microsummary and extended overview of issues relating to religious experience and divine action f... more Microsummary and extended overview of issues relating to religious experience and divine action for the "Special Divine Action Project", hosted by the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion and Oxford's Bodlein Library.
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DEUTSCH: In diesem Beitrag nehme ich eine besondere literarische Tradition der sogenannten „Braut... more DEUTSCH: In diesem Beitrag nehme ich eine besondere literarische Tradition der sogenannten „Brautmystik“ in der christlichen Andachtsliteratur des späten Mittelalters in Augenschein nehmen, die vom 13. bis zum 16. Jahrhundert in Süddeutschland und in der Nordschweiz in verschiedenen Formen verbreitet war – nämlich das Narrativ von "Christus und die minnende Seele". Die wissenschaftliche Literatur hat dieser allegorischen Darstellung des „mystischen Pfades“ bisher nur wenig Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt und die philosophischen Einflüsse bzw. theologischen Fragestellungen, die sich im Kern dieser Allegorie befinden, sind sogar noch weniger explizit diskutiert worden. Obwohl jedoch jene bildliche Darstellung der spirituellen Wanderung zur Vereinigung mit Gott unserem heutigen philosophischen Empfinden eher fremd erscheinen mag, bringen die lebendige Darstellung und die rhythmischen Verse komplexe theologische Ideen über das Handeln Gottes bzw. des Menschen zum Ausdruck und verbildlichen auf imaginative und kreative Weise die theologische Spannung zwischen Aktivität und Passivität in der mittelalterlichen Mystik. Weiterhin werfen sie interessante Fragen bzgl. der Bedeutung menschlichen (und sogar göttlichen) Leidens sowie hinsichtlich der Rolle der göttlichen Verborgenheit und der Fähigkeit des menschlichen Individuums zum autonomen Handeln auf. Im Folgenden möchte ich diese Themen weiterverfolgen, um einen etwas anderen Blick auf die Frage nach Gottes Handeln in der Welt zu werfen.
ENGLISH: In this paper I want to look at a particular tradition of so-called "bridal mysticism" in the Christian devotional literature of the late Middle Ages that was circulated in Southern Germany and Northern Switzerland between the 13th and 16th centuries - namely, the image- and verse-program of "Christ and thee Loving Soul". With a few noteworthy exceptions, this allegorical narrative of the "mystical path" has received little scholarly treatment, and the philosophical and theological issues that make up the core of this allegory have been discussed even less. Although the visual representation of the spiritual journey to union with God may appear strange to contemporary sensibilities, the lively depictions and the rhythmic verses bring complex theological ideas to expression and serve to imaginatively and creatively illustrate the theological tension between activity and passivity in Medieval mysticism. Further, they raise interesting questions regarding the meaning of human (and even divine) suffering, as well as regarding the role of divine hiddenness and the ability of the human individual to act autonomously. I thus want to pursue these themes in what follows, in an attempt to shine a slightly different light on the question of God's acting in the world.
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Gott ohne Theismus, 2016
In this chapter, I first explore the possible meanings of the expression 'non-metaphysical religi... more In this chapter, I first explore the possible meanings of the expression 'non-metaphysical religion' and its relation to the realism and cognitivism debates (as well as these debates' relation to each other). I then sketch out and defend the germs of an alternative semantics of religious language - what I call 'religious imaginativism'. This semantics attempts to move us away from the realism-antirealism debates in Philosophy of Religion and in this sense might count as 'non-metaphysical'. At the same time, it allows that religious utterances may be truth-evaluable. This creates space for a "theism with God" (and for a "God of theism") without being running into the problems confronted by more metaphysical approaches.
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European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 2017
In this paper, I examine various philosophical approaches to religious experience and natural the... more In this paper, I examine various philosophical approaches to religious experience and natural theology and look at some ways in which the former might be relevant for the latter. I argue that by thinking more about oft-overlooked or-underemphasized understandings of a) what might constitute religious experience and b) what functions natural theology might serve, we can begin to develop a more nuanced approach to natural theological appeals to religious experience — one that makes use of materially mediated religious experience to develop a natural theology more sensitive to the varieties of experience of lived religion " on the ground " .
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It is commonly supposed that religious experience requires a belief in the existence of the (pres... more It is commonly supposed that religious experience requires a belief in the existence of the (presumably transcendent) object of the experience. Yet it is not clear that this must be so. In this essay, I defend the possibility that a subject could have a genuine religious experience without thereby necessarily believing that the purported object of her experience corresponds to reality and/or is the cause of her experience. To do so, I put forward what I call an imaginative account of religious engagement. I argue that sincere religious engagement is compatible with both non-belief and disbelief, and that such engagement may give rise to particular religious emotions and attitudes, despite the subject’s not believing in the truth of certain propositions or the reality of certain concepts relevant to those emotions and attitudes.
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In 2010, pitcher Armando Galarraga was denied a perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce called Jason D... more In 2010, pitcher Armando Galarraga was denied a perfect game when umpire Jim Joyce called Jason Donald safe at first with two outs in the bottom of the 9th. In the numerous media discussions that followed, Joyce’s ‘blown’ call was commonly referred to as ‘mistaken’, ‘wrong’, or otherwise erroneous. However, this use of language makes some not uncontroversial ontological assumptions. It claims that the fact that a runner is safe or out has nothing to do with the ruling of the umpire himself, but rather with some state of the universe that does not depend on the umpire for its existence (e.g. the runner’s reaching the base before the ball or not). In this paper, I recast the problem as a version of Plato’s Euthyphro Dilemma and argue that the view implied by the above assertions is actually misguided. Instead, I hope to show that an alternative view – what I call ‘restricted umpire voluntarism’ – is actually more in line with the spirit of the game of baseball and is not as counterintuitive as it may appear at first glance.
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Religious Studies, 2015
While some philosophical models reduce religious faith to either mere belief or affect, more rece... more While some philosophical models reduce religious faith to either mere belief or affect, more recent accounts have begun to look at the volitional component of faith. In this spirit, John Bishop has defended the notion of faith as a ‘doxastic venture’. In this article, I consider Bishop's view in detail and attempt to show that his account proves on the one hand too permissive and on the other too restrictive. Thus, although the doxastic-venture model offers certain advantages over other prominent views in the philosophy of religion, it still falls short of providing us with an ultimately satisfactory account of religious faith.
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Altered Self and Altered Self Experience, 2014
Although there has been much discussion regarding shame and guilt, not enough has been said about... more Although there has been much discussion regarding shame and guilt, not enough has been said about the complexities of the relationship between the two. In this paper, I examine one way in which I take shame and guilt to interact – namely in cases of so-called “survivor’s guilt” among victims of trauma. More specifically, I argue that survivor’s guilt may represent a kind of response to feelings of shame – one which is centrally tied to the central philosophical notions of autonomy and integrity.
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Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy: More Moments of Zen, More Indecision Theory , 2013
An article for the layperson, introducing the philosophical problems regarding self-deception by ... more An article for the layperson, introducing the philosophical problems regarding self-deception by appealing to Stephen Colbert's notion of 'truthiness'.
An earlier version of this paper appeared under the title "Truthiness, Self-Deception, and Intuitive Knowledge" in "The Daily Show and Philosophy", which can also be ordered below.
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In his Ethics, Abelard discusses the example of a judge who knowingly convicts an innocent defend... more In his Ethics, Abelard discusses the example of a judge who knowingly convicts an innocent defendant. He claims that this judge does rightly when he punishes the innocent man to the full extent of the law. Yet this claim seems counterintuitive to most people, and, at first glance, contrary to Abelard’s ethical system. However, Abelard’s ethical system cannot be viewed as completely subjective, since the rightness of an individual act of consent is grounded in objective standards established by God. Likewise, any particular civil government must derive its authority objectively from the natural and/or Christian laws, which ground its possibility and function. In this paper, I examine Abelard’s explication of the natural law, discoverable through reason, and the divine laws, knowable only through revelation, in order to explore what form an adequate civil law would have to take under which the judge could be said to have acted rightly.
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Published Papers (selection) by Amber L . Griffioen
ENGLISH: In this paper I want to look at a particular tradition of so-called "bridal mysticism" in the Christian devotional literature of the late Middle Ages that was circulated in Southern Germany and Northern Switzerland between the 13th and 16th centuries - namely, the image- and verse-program of "Christ and thee Loving Soul". With a few noteworthy exceptions, this allegorical narrative of the "mystical path" has received little scholarly treatment, and the philosophical and theological issues that make up the core of this allegory have been discussed even less. Although the visual representation of the spiritual journey to union with God may appear strange to contemporary sensibilities, the lively depictions and the rhythmic verses bring complex theological ideas to expression and serve to imaginatively and creatively illustrate the theological tension between activity and passivity in Medieval mysticism. Further, they raise interesting questions regarding the meaning of human (and even divine) suffering, as well as regarding the role of divine hiddenness and the ability of the human individual to act autonomously. I thus want to pursue these themes in what follows, in an attempt to shine a slightly different light on the question of God's acting in the world.
An earlier version of this paper appeared under the title "Truthiness, Self-Deception, and Intuitive Knowledge" in "The Daily Show and Philosophy", which can also be ordered below.
ENGLISH: In this paper I want to look at a particular tradition of so-called "bridal mysticism" in the Christian devotional literature of the late Middle Ages that was circulated in Southern Germany and Northern Switzerland between the 13th and 16th centuries - namely, the image- and verse-program of "Christ and thee Loving Soul". With a few noteworthy exceptions, this allegorical narrative of the "mystical path" has received little scholarly treatment, and the philosophical and theological issues that make up the core of this allegory have been discussed even less. Although the visual representation of the spiritual journey to union with God may appear strange to contemporary sensibilities, the lively depictions and the rhythmic verses bring complex theological ideas to expression and serve to imaginatively and creatively illustrate the theological tension between activity and passivity in Medieval mysticism. Further, they raise interesting questions regarding the meaning of human (and even divine) suffering, as well as regarding the role of divine hiddenness and the ability of the human individual to act autonomously. I thus want to pursue these themes in what follows, in an attempt to shine a slightly different light on the question of God's acting in the world.
An earlier version of this paper appeared under the title "Truthiness, Self-Deception, and Intuitive Knowledge" in "The Daily Show and Philosophy", which can also be ordered below.
This work focuses on questions regarding the metaphysical and psychological possibility of self-deception and attempts to show that self-deception is a phenomenon best characterized as both motivated and intentional, such that self-deceivers can be held responsible for their deceptions in a stronger sense than that of being merely epistemically negligent.
In Chapter One, I introduce the paradoxes of self-deception, which arise when one attempts to draw a close analogy between self- and other-deception, and I discuss the various ways in which one might characterize an unwarranted belief as irrational. I go on to show how the various ways one understands interpersonal deception may mirror the various accounts one might give of self-deception. I concluded the chapter with a brief discussion of the role of empirical studies in philosophical investigations of irrationality.
In Chapter Two, I look more closely at a particular kind of intentionalist account of self-deception, namely the claim that we must suppose the existence of a partitioned mind to make sense of the so-called "internal irrationality" of the self-deceiver. I discuss both stronger and weaker versions of this theory, in an attempt to show that it tends to raise more metaphysical worries than it solves. I argue further that if there is such a thing as divisions within the mind, an account of self-deception centered around such divisions will not get the intentionalist about self-deception what he or she wants.
In Chapter Three, I move on to discuss non-intentionalist accounts of self-deception. Such theories have gained in popularity in recent years, due to their appeals to explanatory parsimony. Against these theories, I argued that there are certain phenomenon we take to be central to self-deception that non-intentionalists cannot account for. I therefore propose that a more robust account of self-deception is necessary to make sense of these phenomena.
Chapter Four attempts to provide such an account. I claim that if we focus more heavily on the diachronic process by which self-deceivers elicit and/or maintain their beliefs over time, what emerges looks much more like an intentional project aimed at the manipulation of one's evidence or evidential standards than a mere more-or-less unconscious process of motivated biasing. I suggest that such a view can escape the paradoxes of self-deception, while at the same time making sense of the features lacking on non-intentionalist accounts.
Finally, in Chapter Five I examine the morality of self-deception. I argue that self-deceivers are not only epistemically but also morally responsible for their self-deceptions, and that self-deception generally represents a moral failure on the part of the moral agent, regardless of the normative moral theory one adopts.
https://www.praefaktisch.de/religion/das-theodizeeproblem-oder-ein-problem-mit-der-theodizee-was-passiert-mit-klassischen-fragen-wenn-wir-die-religionsphilosophie-neu-denken
https://dailyant.com/2017/11/24/philosophy-phridays-asshoppers-and-grants-playing-at-being-human/
http://blogos.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2019/04/18/logia-for-april-2019-undressing-philosophical-theology-lessons-from-mechthild-of-magdeburg-by-amber-l-griffioen/
Indeed, much of what drives many intuitions and assessments about what counts as “philosophical”, which philosophical figures, traditions, and problems are “worth” discussing, and what constitutes the “proper” way of doing philosophy has to do with the kinds of philosophy one encounters and the historical philosophical narrative with which one is typically presented in academic contexts. Unfortunately, the traditional Western narrative both displays and perpetuates strong implicit (and sometimes explicit) biases in terms of gender, ethnicity, ability, geography, and religion, to name just a few. It is a narrative divided into epochs that are themselves often the result of a Western reframing in later periods.
The workshop, “Expanding the Canon: Transitions and Transformations in Medieval and Early Modern Philosophy”, to be held at Castle Neuhaus (Gais, IT) from July 1-6, 2018, aims to discuss ways of expanding and revising the historical philosophical canon and the way it is taught in the university. Daytime sessions will involve participant presentations on relevant topics, as well as interdisciplinary approaches, while the evenings will be organized into smaller roundtables and group brainstorming sessions, as well as dramatic readings and other activities.
University of Konstanz, July 31-August 1, 2015
Location: Domschule, Konstanzer Münster
Keynote Speakers:
Christina Van Dyke (Calvin College)
Joy R. Bostic (Case Western Reserve University)
Featuring original artwork by Mansa Sabaghian
Organizers:
Amber Griffioen (University of Konstanz)
Mohammad Sadegh Zahedi (Imam Khomeini International University)
The German term Sehnsucht refers to a kind of longing, one historically associated with both love (of the object of one's Sehnsucht) and suffering (due to the perceived lack of said object). But how ought we understand Sehnsucht when the object of one's yearning is some sort of transcendent reality? This workshop intends to bring together scholars from various cultural and religious backgrounds to examine the relationship between these and related affective attitudes and stances as they feature specifically in mystical theory and practice. How is suffering thematized in various mystical traditions? Is suffering ultimately viewed as something positive? Something to be pursued? Or is mystical practice a means by which one overcomes or frees oneself from suffering? What role does the idea of love play in mysticism? What kinds of metaphors are employed to characterize the loving relationship of the individual to the divine? What role does longing play in these characterizations and how is this related to the mystic's understanding of suffering? And how are these ideas realized in mystical practice (e.g., via certain forms of meditation, asceticism, bodily ritual, etc.)?
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
There is no registration fee for the event, but we ask those interested in attending the entire workshop to pre-register by sending an email to the address below by 20 July, 2015. An optional recreational day on Lake Constance will be offered on August 2. The workshop language is English. Questions may be sent to emo.religion@gmail.com.