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Position:Home>Philosophy> What is the epistemological value of faith?Question: What is the epistemological value of faith!? My response would be that faith cannot tell us anything about reality, as it is a process of non-rational thought!.
However, I would like to hear any justifications you may have for faith having any epistemological value!. Bible quotes won't convince me, sorry!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The whole basis of religion is that it exists outside of what we're able to comprehend, that there are things that exist outside of what we're able to understand or rationalize!. It's not meant to have any epistemological value!. So in many ways, your question is comparing apples to oranges, or more appropriately apples to doorknobs!. Apples and doorknobs are similar in shape and size, but you would never ask, what is the nutritional value of doorknobs!? Doorknobs have no nutritional value because they're not meant to be nutritious!. They're meant to open doors!. The same way you couldn't say, how good at apples at allowing access to new rooms!. The study of Epistemology (or the nature of knowledge, for those of you out of the loop) is meant to further our understand of knowledge and the world around us!. Most people would agree that while religion tries to tackle some of these questions, it's main purpose is to comfort people and give them some sort of meaning!. So, in short, when you ask about the value of understanding faith, you're are also asking what's the comforting value of knowledge!. The answer to both is none, as they serve different purposes!. Thank you for your thought-prooking question!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Bible - "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen!." Note: "the evidence of things not seen" When we have various and multitude evidence of particulars, we interpolate the existence of universals!. Then we have knowledge of universals!. That knowledge is the difference between eternal life and death, a vast difference in value!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I agree!. The value of faith is not epistemological!. That is not, of course, to concede that it lacks value!. The realm of things we can actually prove rationally is extremely limited, and faith (that is, steadfast commitment to a relationship) is one of the values that gets us through the thicket of unprovable cases in which we must merely take our best guess at an answer, which actually constitute far more of life!. The one thing we can prove (even mathematically!) is that there are truths beyond those we can prove!. Hence the situations in which we can act on a rational foundation are rare!. Faith is about picking our beliefs, and therefore ultimately (since we act on those beliefs) choosing who we want to be, in terms of a relationship: we "keep faith" with principles or traditions or our respective gods!. Actually, let me revise this just a bit!. There IS one thing we can know through faith: ourselves, as we choose to become!. My faith may not tell me anything about external reality; it is a significant factor in defining my internal reality!. Incidentally, I don't think the much-discussed "definition" in Hebrews 11:1 ("the asurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen") is really a definition, or intended as one, but rather a description of the state of mind of the faithful!. Every other Biblical reference to faith which has come to my attention has had the sense I've used above, a steadfast commitment not to claimed knowledge of anything, but to a relationship!. That goes for the ensuing discussion in the rest of Hebrews 11, too!.Www@QuestionHome@Com / Knowledge and wisdom are cherished values!. We have the ability to think, create, and reason!. That being said, ignoring any one of these values would limit our ability to learn beyond that which is known, create that which isn't there, or give thought to that which has never been thought!. Faith is a culmination of that valuable knowledge!. To ignore it, would be to de-humanize one's self or exist on a level lower than human!.Www@QuestionHome@Com You are correct!. The "epistemology of faith" is a simple abnegation or denial of the validity of reason in matters of the spirit!. Theologians have said this since the beginning of the identity of reason!. Boethius told us to add reason to faith because faith sometimes isn't enough when we need answers!. Occam said no theological argument or science (each products of reason) could prove God's existence, and that a belief in God must be from faith and ONLY from faith!. Even the theologians who have somehow "proved" God's existence do it by saying God must exist because of this and this; but as Occam said, knowledge of God is not within the power of man and that is why those "proofs" never positively identify the existence of God!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Faith as it is preached these days (believe it because the Bible or the pastor told you to) has little to no value!. The deeper meaning of that word "faith" has value!. The real meaning has to do with awakening the deeper aspect of who you are!. You might think of it as an inner revelation!.!.!. or a kind of subtle knowledge!. It could also be expressed like this!.!.!. being able to perceive something that was previously unknown or unseen!.!.!. It's like an awakening!. This resource explains it in terms of Christian metaphysics!.!.!. http://gospelenigma!.com I wish I could think of some more secular things that explain it, but I am at a loss for anything right now!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Given the fact that there is always more to life than we know--discoveries are made all the time--faith is a name for that sense that what we don't know in explainable terms is nevertheless real!.Www@QuestionHome@Com You would need to ask the billions of humans over the centuries that have adopted some sort of faith in their lives!.Www@QuestionHome@Com It can serve as a reservoir for all those puzzles not yet solved!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |