Abstract
It is sometimes said that faith is recalcitrant in the face of new evidence, but it is puzzling how such recalcitrance could be rational or laudable. I explain this aspect of faith and why faith is not only rational, but in addition serves an important purpose in human life. Because faith requires maintaining a commitment to act on the claim one has faith in, even in the face of counter-evidence, faith allows us to carry out long-term, risky projects that we might otherwise abandon. Thus, faith allows us to maintain integrity over time.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 113-133 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | International Journal for Philosophy of Religion |
Volume | 81 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 1 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Philosophy
Keywords
- Belief
- Counter-evidence
- Evidence
- Faith
- Practical rationality