Conceptual Metaphor Theory as Methodology for Comparative Philosophy of Religion

This course introduces Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) as a rigorous methodological framework for comparative philosophy of religion. Building on the work of Lakoff and Johnson and subsequent developments, the course examines how abstract religious concepts--such as truth, selfhood, liberation, faith, and transcendence--are structured by embodied, experience-based metaphors. Through comparative case studies drawn from Buddhist and Christian traditions, students will learn how CMT clarifies both convergence and divergence without reducing traditions to doctrinal equivalence. Emphasis is placed on methodological precision, hermeneutical self-awareness, and the limits of comparison, equipping students with analytical tools for cross-cultural and interreligious philosophical research.