Alvin Plantinga and Warranted Christian Belief
The belief that a man called Jesus lived 2000 years ago and was crucified is a Christian belief.
How can such a belief be a properly basic belief - a belief that needs no justification?
This makes no sense.
How can such a belief be a properly basic belief - a belief that needs no justification?
This makes no sense.
posted by Steven Carr at 3:58 PM
11 Comments:
Because otherwise, Christianity is false. Duh. You've met Christians before, right Steven? hehe
Ben
It's as bad as Swinburne's Principle of Testimony - with the absence of any reason to disbelieve them, one should accept that eye-witnesses or believers are telling the truth when they testify about religious experiences.
...but of course a believer's holding of that principle is good enough reason to doubt them.
Is that what Plantinga is arguing in his book? I thought it was a bit more complicated than that. Have you read it?
So you concede that Plantinga wrote a big book called 'Warranted Christian Belief' and never gave a list of Christian Beliefs that were Warranted?
What is the point of reading a book called 'Warranted Christian Belief' that never even attempts to list Christian Beliefs which are Warranted?
It is a bit like finding a book called 'The Big British Book of Birds' that never mentions any birds.
I haven't conceded anything, I don't know much about the book. Maybe he argues that a few doctrines are warranted, and others are not. Have you read it?
Very thoughtfull post on belief .It should be very much helpfull.
Thanks,
Karim - Creating Power
"It is a bit like finding a book called 'The Big British Book of Birds' that never mentions any birds."
hehe
I think you've missed the point of this book.
The point of the book is to have a book of answers even if they are not real answers.
I disagree. The point of the book is to defend theism against the objection that theistic belief is somehow irrational and unwarranted irrespective of whether its true. Plantinga eventually concludes that if theism is true, then it has warrant. This book is about warranted belief, not beliefs that are warranted.
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