1. Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 1
Kierkegaard & Fideism
Søren Kierkegaard (Danish, )
Two ways of knowing
Objective
Subjective
Which is appropriate for religious faith?
Religious truth: “the venture which chooses an objective uncertainty with passion of the infinite” (83).
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 1

2. Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 2
drawing of Kierkegaard
by his 2nd cousin, Niels Christian Kierkegaard
c. 1840
Royal Library, Copenhagen
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 2

3. Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 3
Kierkegaard & Fideism
Faith & risk & dread
Faith & the absurd
Critical evaluation of Fideism
How does one decide which religious faith to jump to?
The value of Fideism: religious faith is more than assent to cognitive claims; involves passion & trust & relationship with a person
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 3

4. Clifford’s Hard rationalism & evidentialism
William Clifford (English, )
Story about ship owner
Conclusion: The ship owner had “no right to believe on such evidence as was before him” & it was morally wrong for him to believe that it was safe to sail (Peterson 66).
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 4

5. Clifford’s Hard rationalism & evidentialism
Clifford anticipates some objections
The actions were immoral, not the beliefs.
Clifford’s response: Belief & action cannot be separated; beliefs often, almost always, spill over into action
Hence all beliefs have a social dimension; they affect the lives of others.
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 5

6. Clifford’s Hard rationalism & evidentialism
This is why beliefs may be morally good or bad.
Therefore one has a moral obligation to accept only those beliefs based on evidence & careful reasoning (Peterson 69).
If evidence is lacking, one should withhold belief.
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 6

7. Clifford’s Hard rationalism & evidentialism
Application of his position to religion?
Critique of Clifford’s position
One may make an intellectual mistake & not be morally wrong for making such a mistake.
There is a difference between an intellectual mistake & a moral evil.
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 7

8. Clifford’s Hard rationalism & evidentialism
We often must act without sufficient knowledge (e.g., practice of medicine).
In his tacit application of his position to religion, he assumes that religious faith is a leap beyond reason & evidence.
John Polkinghorne: “You don’t have to commit intellectual suicide to be a person of religious faith.”
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 8

9. Clifford’s Hard rationalism & evidentialism
Cover Ibn Rushd here
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 9

10. Aquinas on faith & reason
The harmony position
Thomas Aquinas (Italian, )
Two kinds of propositions about God
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 10

11. Aquinas on faith & reason
Arguments for the appropriateness that although truths about God are available through human reason, these same truths are also available through revelation (reason & revelation)
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 11

12. Aquinas on faith & reason
1. The pragmatic argument
2. Argument based on the frailty of human reason
Arguments for the appropriateness that there are some truths about God which are beyond human reason (revelation only)
[1. Argument based on the satisfaction of the transcendent nature of humans]
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 12

13. Aquinas on faith & reason
2. Argument for richness of our knowledge of God
3. Argument for plausibility that knowledge of God would be beyond the abilities of human reason
On the relationship between religious faith & reason: the harmony position (Peterson et al 62-63)
Principle vs practice
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 13

14. Aquinas on faith & reason
Concluding overview of Aquinas’s position
1. Faith precedes reason
2. Reason alone cannot arrive at many of the propositions of religious faith; but once these propositions are available (by revelation), reason can show that they are reasonable.
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 14

15. Aquinas on faith & reason
3. Religious faith is partly proposition; it makes truth-claims
4. In principle, religious faith & reason are in harmony.
5. In practice, they may conflict but when they do, reason must be wrong.
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 15

16. Aquinas on faith & reason
Critique of Aquinas
On # 5, in view of our 20th century awareness of the historicity of the development of dogma & of the interpretation of scripture, why not say that in cases of conflict, both religious faith & reason must reassess their positions?
Faith & Reason: Kierkegaard, Clifford, & Aquinas ~ slide 16