University of Tehran Press Philosophy of Religion 2008-7063 22 4 2025 12 22 Review and Critique of George Santayana's View on the Nature and Function of Religion Review and Critique of George Santayana's View on the Nature and Function of Religion 275 286 104541 10.22059/jpht.2025.397430.1006129 FA Rahim Amraee Department of Islamic education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran Akbar Amiri Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Faculty of Litreature, University of Lorestan, Khorramabad. Iran Journal Article 2025 09 08 This study undertakes a critical examination of George Santayana’s conceptualization of religion, which frames it as a cultural and symbolic phenomenon primarily driven by aesthetic and psychological imperatives, analyzed via his doctrine of “Poetic Realism.” The primary objective is to evaluate the sufficiency of Santayana’s reductionist framework in accounting for the full spectrum of religion’s epistemic, metaphysical, and ethical dimensions. Employing a philosophical-analytical methodology, the research scrutinizes Santayana’s corpus and relevant secondary sources to determine the impact of reducing religious structures to mere myths and symbols on understanding their sui generis functions (rational, moral, and spiritual). The analysis demonstrates that while Santayana’s approach effectively elucidates the psychological consolation and aesthetic valence of religious experience, it systematically discounts religion’s inherent capacity for truth-seeking (alētheia), normative moral guidance, and genuine spiritual transcendence. Consequently, the study concludes that an adequate comprehension of religious life necessitates an integrative approach. Such an approach must incorporate the cultural, historical, epistemic, and ethical dimensions alongside the acknowledged aesthetic and psychological considerations to capture the full richness and significance of religious phenomena. This study undertakes a critical examination of George Santayana’s conceptualization of religion, which frames it as a cultural and symbolic phenomenon primarily driven by aesthetic and psychological imperatives, analyzed via his doctrine of “Poetic Realism.” The primary objective is to evaluate the sufficiency of Santayana’s reductionist framework in accounting for the full spectrum of religion’s epistemic, metaphysical, and ethical dimensions. Employing a philosophical-analytical methodology, the research scrutinizes Santayana’s corpus and relevant secondary sources to determine the impact of reducing religious structures to mere myths and symbols on understanding their sui generis functions (rational, moral, and spiritual). The analysis demonstrates that while Santayana’s approach effectively elucidates the psychological consolation and aesthetic valence of religious experience, it systematically discounts religion’s inherent capacity for truth-seeking (alētheia), normative moral guidance, and genuine spiritual transcendence. Consequently, the study concludes that an adequate comprehension of religious life necessitates an integrative approach. Such an approach must incorporate the cultural, historical, epistemic, and ethical dimensions alongside the acknowledged aesthetic and psychological considerations to capture the full richness and significance of religious phenomena.

https://jpht.ut.ac.ir/article_104541_730b64f2395255c9cf859f3c85bbf799.pdf