1. C.S. Lewis on religious faith - 1 C.S. Lewis on religious faith zC.S. Lewis (Irish, 1898-1963) yBiographical notes y“On the Obstinacy of Belief” (1962) xTwo apparent differences between scientists and religious persons with respect to strength of belief and evidence.

2. C.S. Lewis on religious faith - 2 C.S. Lewis on religious faith 1. Scientists proportion the strength of their beliefs to the evidence; religious persons believes without evidence. 2. Scientists give up their beliefs when they encounter contrary evidence; religious persons are obstinate in their beliefs. They cling to them in the face of counter- evidence.

3. C.S. Lewis on religious faith - 3 C.S. Lewis on religious faith xLewis’s response 1. Religious belief is not belief without evidence. What are some of the types of evidence? (129) –Lewis’s list

4. C.S. Lewis on religious faith - 4 C.S. Lewis on religious faith –Note interesting aside on Freud’s analysis of religions 2. The obstinacy issue. Lewis appears to admit that there is obstinacy in religious belief, but he argues that it is justified. –How? The analogy to rescuers. –The element of trust involved in interpersonal relations.

5. C.S. Lewis on religious faith - 5 C.S. Lewis on religious faith –The element of trust is justified because religion is concerned with interpersonal relations (132). – Knowledge of other persons involves a different logic than knowledge of things. Cf. Kierkegaard.

6. C.S. Lewis on religious faith - 6 C.S. Lewis on religious faith yComments xQuery: Do scientists really give up their beliefs readily in the face of counter-evidence?

7. C.S. Lewis on religious faith - 7 C.S. Lewis on religious faith xSorting out more distinctions on the relationship between religious faith & reason On the epistemology of religious faith & reason –Is only one mode of knowing & this is scientific knowing (including its everyday variations) & religious belief-systems should meet the standards of this mode of knowing or be declared illegitimate (Dawkins, Clifford)

8. C.S. Lewis on religious faith - 8 C.S. Lewis on religious faith –Are at least two modes of knowing -- religious & scientific -- and religious belief-systems should not be subjected to the standards of scientific knowing (Pascal, Kierkegaard, James, & Lewis)