Assess the strengths and weaknesses of one schorarly definition of Essay

Assess the strengths and weaknesses of one schorarly definition of religion - Essay Example ings of psychological science and the first-hand researches of anthropologists all over the world, to develop the concept of religion from an integrated and new point of view (E.W.S, 1923). King (1992) states that he found Dr. William K. Wright’s concept of religion to be â€Å"something broad and universal, covering the whole of life† (p.384). It appeared to King that the universality and perpetuity of religion result from the fact that it â€Å"endeavours to secure the conservation of socially recognized values†. In the review by E.W.S (1923) of Dr.W.K. Wright’s book A Student’s Philosophy of Religion, Dr. Wright’s definition of religion is stated as: â€Å"Religion is the endeavour to secure the conservation of socially recognized values through specific actions that are believed to evoke some agency different from the ordinary ego of the individual, or from other merely human beings, and that imply a feeling of dependence upon this agenc y† (p.341). The Strengths in Dr. W.K. Right’s Definition of Religion: King (1992) observes that in order to determine the exact meaning of religion both the genus and the differentia of Dr. Wright’s definition have to be dealt with. In the genus of his definition of religion, the author had tried to include every conceivable form of religion to broaden the focus of the term as much as possible, and in the differentia he attempts to be sufficiently narrow and specific to exclude from the species of religion everything included within the genus which is not properly religious. Each of the separate expressions in Dr. Wright’s definition of religion is scrutinized by King (1992): By â€Å"values† many be any of a number of things depending on the level of progress achieved by the religion and of the civilization in which it appears. â€Å"Natural religions† is the term used by Dr. Wright for lower or less advanced religions: having values which are all concrete and practical wants, with belief in the supernatural. Relief