The god-faculty dilemma:challenges for reformed epistemology in the light of cognitive science

IF 0.3 0 PHILOSOPHY

International Journal of Philosophy and Theology Pub Date : 2020-08-07 DOI:10.1080/21692327.2020.1753095

Halvor Kvandal

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引用次数: 3

Abstract

ABSTRACT Reformed epistemology (RE) involves a view of knowledge of God which Kelly James Clark and Justin Barrett have brought cognitive science to bear on. They argue that the cognitive science of religion (CSR) indicates that we have a ‘god-faculty’, a notion employed by Alvin Plantinga. Plantinga contends that if there is a God, then we have a specialized god-faculty. Clark and Barrett, by contrast, focus on the empirical evidence and point to a different, less specialized faculty. This difference is significant for how RE and CSR relate. The paper argues that a dilemma arises for those who bring RE and CSR together. A choice must be made between two interpretations of the god-faculty. ‘God-faculty 1ʹ is a specialized system for forming theistic beliefs. Findings in CSR indicate that there is no such system. ‘God-faculty 2ʹ is an unrefined tendency to form beliefs in superhuman agents. This thesis has empirical support in CSR. However, this faculty is unable to deliver the epistemic goods needed for the immediate, non-inferential knowledge of God RE describes. This shows that those who combine central contentions in RE with current research in CSR face a dilemma from which it is hard to escape.

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神权困境:认知科学视野下改革认识论的挑战

改革后的认识论(RE)涉及到凯利·詹姆斯·克拉克和贾斯汀·巴雷特将认知科学引入的一种对上帝的认识观。他们认为，宗教认知科学(CSR)表明，我们有一种“神的能力”，这是阿尔文·普兰廷加(Alvin Plantinga)提出的概念。普兰廷加认为，如果上帝存在，那么我们就有一种特殊的上帝能力。相比之下，克拉克和巴雷特关注的是经验证据，并指出了一种不同的、不那么专业化的教员。这种差异对于可再生能源和企业社会责任之间的关系非常重要。这篇论文认为，将可再生能源和企业社会责任结合起来的人会陷入两难境地。必须在对神的能力的两种解释之间做出选择。“神系1”是形成有神论信仰的专门系统。企业社会责任的研究结果表明，不存在这样的系统。“神的能力2”是一种不加修饰的倾向，形成了对超人的信仰。本文具有企业社会责任的实证支持。然而，这种能力不能提供对RE所描述的上帝的直接的、非推理的知识所需要的知识。这表明，那些将可再生能源的核心争论与当前CSR研究结合起来的人面临着一个难以摆脱的困境。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Philosophy and Theology PHILOSOPHY-

CiteScore

0.30

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： International Journal of Philosophy and Theology publishes scholarly articles and reviews that concern the intersection between philosophy and theology. It aims to stimulate the creative discussion between various traditions, for example the analytical and the continental traditions. Articles should exhibit high-level scholarship but should be readable for those coming from other philosophical traditions. Fields of interest are: philosophy, especially philosophy of religion, metaphysics, and philosophical ethics, and systematic theology, for example fundamental theology, dogmatic and moral theology. Contributions focusing on the history of these disciplines are also welcome, especially when they are relevant to contemporary discussions.