The Essence of Phenomenology and Its Meaning for the Scientific Study of Religion

Religious studies is rife with confusion over what the phenomenology of religion is. Conventional approaches dwell on the dissimilarity of the meanings of 'phenomenology' and 'phenomenology of religion' and ignore their synonymy. The purpose of this book is to challenge this trend by examining seven significant historical examples of philosophical phenomenology in order to develop a synthetic definition of 'phenomenology' which will both resolve the perceived conflicts in meaning and lead to a useful augmentation of religious methodology.