On Counting Gods

Abstract

Our standard scheme for describing and classifying different sorts of religious belief, the trichotomy monotheism-polytheism-atheism, is confused and confusing. In this paper I display some of the confusions and work out a better conceptual scheme, analyzing the concepts deity, god, and ultimate. I then suggest a conservatively revised terminology, discuss historical precedents for this, and show how my suggestions clarify various problems of classification.