How to Study the Historical Imprint of Religions on Cultures According to Christopher Dawson

Abstract

Christopher Dawson is one of the great philosophers of history. He understood the signs of the times and anticipated what was to come in Western society. He considered religion to be the soul of cultures and showed this in his writings. The aim of this article is to articulately present Dawson’s vision of how to study religions from his discipline. To this end, it first shows the possibility of the scientific study of religion. Then it explains the method suggested by Dawson for such a study and the relevance of religious experiences and religious social types as sources for the study of religion. Finally, it analyses the constitutive elements of religion and the notions of religion that Dawson handles, always from a historical approach open to the transcendent.