Introduction To The Science Of Religion: Four Lectures Delivered At The Royal Institution, Two Essays On False Analogies And The Philosophy Of Mythology

by F. Max Müller

""Introduction to the Science of Religion"" is a collection of four lectures delivered by F. Max Muller at the Royal Institution, along with two essays on false analogies and the philosophy of mythology. Muller, a renowned scholar of comparative religion, explores the origins and development of religion as a human phenomenon, drawing on a wide range of sources from across the world. He examines the role of language, myth, and ritual in shaping religious beliefs and practices, and discusses the ways in which different cultures have approached questions of the divine. Muller also critiques various theories of religion, including those that seek to reduce it to a purely natural or psychological phenomenon. Throughout the book, he emphasizes the importance of approaching religion as a subject of scientific inquiry, rather than simply as a matter of personal belief or faith. This accessible and thought-provoking work remains a classic in the field of religious studies.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Religion, Philosophy, Nonfiction, History

416 pages, Hardcover

First published January 19, 2001

About the author

Friedrich Max Müller, K.M. (Ph.D., Philology, Leipzig University, 1843)—generally known as Max Müller or F. Max Müller—was the first Professor of Comparative Philology at Oxford University, and an Orientalist who lived and studied in Britain for most of his life. He was one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of comparative religion. Müller wrote both scholarly and popular works on the subject of Indology and the Sacred Books of the East, a 50-volume set of English translations, was prepared under his direction.

Müller became a naturalized British citizen in 1855. In 1869, he was elected to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres as a foreign correspondent. He was awarded the Pour le Mérite (civil class) in 1874, and the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art the following year. In 1888, he was appointed Gifford Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, delivering the first in what has proved to be an ongoing, annual series of lectures at several Scottish universities to the present day. He was appointed a member of the Privy Council in 1896.

His wife, Georgina Adelaide Müller was also an author. After Max's death, she deposited his papers at the Bodleian Library, Oxford.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muller's the man! So outdated, but the Pater of our discipline nonetheless!

[Roger Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can't exactly argue with a classic like this. Lots of misinformation, for sure, and yet it is foundational in all its imperfections. One could be saying worse things in 1870.

[Miao · Rating 5 out of 5]

宗教学的必修课！大师级人物就是不一样，总能让人耳目一新。