Abstract

The thesis analyses religious convictions by examining the equilibritive logic underlying the thoughts of two theists and two atheists . The analysis is based on Robert Kegan's model of meaning-making wherein he develops a dialectic depicting the construction of "self" and "other" through successive and increasingly inclusive balances of "psycho-logical" relating. A more extended model of meaning-making is then created by extending Kegan's fundamental conception to include both epistemology and theology . This tri-partate model of meaning-making is then utilized as a qualitative instrument of analysis in view of generating a constructive-developmental critique of the aforementioned thinkers. The fruits of this endeavor will show: that an atheist and a theist may have more in common in respect to their underlying structure of meaning-making than two atheists or two theists; that these thinkers represent various attempts to negotiate the transition from the fourth to the fifth balance of Kegan's model of meaning-making, and; the terms "atheist" and "theist" make more sense in the fourth balance than in the fifth