Preparing for Quiz 11

In this section we study post-Kantian approaches to religious belief. Kant showed that questions of God, freedom, and immortality are noumenal, i.e., unknowable by beings whose cognitive faculties are limited to the phenomenal world. Most philosophers — even those who reject the rest of Kant's philosophy — agree with Kant that religious claims cannot be established on the basis of reason and/or sensory evidence. But post-Kantian philosophers such as Kierkegaard and William James still defended religious belief. They differed from philosophers like Aquinas and Anselm (who thought the existence of God could be established by reason). Kierkegaard and James assumed from the outset that religious belief cannot be supported by reason. Yet both urge us to believe anyway.

We also think about religious experience as another possible source of validation of religious belief.

This is the material for Quiz 11.

Readings for Quiz 11

The reading assignments for this section are:

• DP Ch 5 sections "Volitional Justifications of Religious Belief," "Religious Mysticism," and "Religious Existentialism"

• The following notes:

  • Pascal's Wager (notes by Tim Holt)

If you like, you can read the original article "The Will to Believe" by William James.

Objectives for Quiz 11

You should be able to answer the following essay questions:

1. Explain (briefly) the Bible story of Abraham. Why did Kierkegaard find it so striking?

2. What is James’ argument (premises and conclusion) for religious belief?

3. Does religious experience prove religious belief? Give at least one argument why or why not.

4. What would Antony Flew say to Kierkegaard and James?

5. How does William James' argument for belief resemble Pascal's Wager? How does James' argument differ from Pascal's?

6. Kierkegaard is often called a Christian existentialist. Where's the existentialism in Kierkegaard?