Metaphor, Analogy, and the Place of Places: Where Religion and Philosophy Meet

Vaught identifies the place where religion and philosophy meet--and he does so in constant conversation with Augustine, Hegel, Heidegger and Jaspers. Vaught argues that both religious and philosophical discourse assume one of four modes: figurative, analytical, systematic, and analogical. Any real innovation occurs by moving from one mode of discourse to another. Vaught also explores the relationship among space, time, and place as well as mystery, power, and structure. Remarkably, Vaught shows how the category of place serves as the intersection of both triads. In the end, place is the orientation that guides the discussions of Being and God, where philosophy and religion are joined.