Das Faktum der Wirklichkeit: evolutionspsychologische und fiktionstheoretische Überlegungen zur Rede von Gott

Without fiction, there is no religion. Even more, without fiction the essential human tool for coping with reality would be missing as fiction plays a key role in art, society and science. In contrast to popular belief, fiction is able to formulate truthful statements about the world and enables a deeper understanding of reality.

The present study shows how an interdisciplinary approach to the phenomenon of fiction helps to overcome friction within theology and to apologetically validate the discourse on god. It draws on evolutionary psychology, cultural theory and theory of science as well as ontology and current theology.

Maximilian Schalück studied Protestant Theology, German Studies, and Educational Sciences at LMU Munich and the University of Helsinki. He completed his doctorate in 2023 in Protestant Theology as a scholarship holder of the ELKB and the KAS. In 2024 he finished his teacher training for secondary education I and II in Bavaria. His areas of interest include the philosophy of religion, 20th-century theology, and interdisciplinary research.