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Mackie vs Plantinga on the warrant of theistic belief without arguments

Authors :
Domingos Faria
Source :
Scientia et Fides, Vol 4, Iss 1, Pp 77-100 (2016)
Publication Year :
2016
Publisher :
Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika, 2016.

Abstract

My aim in this paper is to critically assess two opposing theses about the epistemology of religious belief. The first one, developed by John Mackie, claims that belief in God can be justified or warranted only if there is a good argument for the existence of God. The second thesis, elaborated by Alvin Plantinga, holds that even if there is no such argument, belief in God can be justified or warranted. I contend that the first thesis is plausibly false, because belief in God is not just like a scientific hypothesis, and the second thesis is likely true if epistemic externalism is the correct view. However, even if the second thesis is true, I argue that to work on good arguments for God’s existence is unavoidable in order to cope with a new version of the Great Pumpkin objection, as well as to achieve other relevant purposes such as to convince rational observers outside the theistic community that belief in God is likely justified or warranted.

Details

Language :
English, Spanish; Castilian, French, Polish
ISSN :
23007648 and 23535636
Volume :
4
Issue :
1
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Scientia et Fides
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.9dd315d6111e40988decb6c71df6545d
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.12775/SetF.2016.006