Re-reading David Hume’s Psychologism: A Bridge from Classical Philosophy to Modern Cognitive Sciences in the Understanding of Religion

Abstract

David Hume’s psychologism, as a philosophical approach, in contrast to traditional perspectives in the philosophy of religion that were largely grounded in metaphysical argumentation, rational demonstration, or divine revelation, regards religious beliefs as products of mental processes such as imagination, habitual association, and human emotions, and thus introduces a transformative, skeptical, and reductionist perspective on religious belief within the philosophy of religion. Over time, with the emergence of the cognitive science of religion as an interdisciplinary field, new models and theories have been developed that place cognitive and evolutionary processes at the center of the formation and stabilization of religious beliefs. This study, adopting an interdisciplinary approach and a systematic methodology that includes rigorous philosophical analysis of the theoretical foundations of Hume’s psychologism, in-depth conceptual critique of its key constructs, and a comparative examination with contemporary theories in the cognitive science of religion, highlights the point of convergence between classical philosophy and modern cognitive sciences and facilitates the development of a more comprehensive and novel understanding of religion within the humanities. The findings indicate that although Hume’s approach is innovative and foundational, it pays comparatively less attention to certain spiritual and ontological complexities of religion. In contrast, modern theories, by relying on cognitive and evolutionary mechanisms, offer a broader and more scientific perspective that can render the philosophy of religion both deeper and more practically applicable. This interdisciplinary re-reading provides a productive framework for future research and scholarly applications in the philosophy of religion and the cognitive sciences.