ABSTRACT

Foundationalism is the view that philosophical propositions are of two kinds, those which need supporting evidence, and those which in themselves provide the evidence which renders them irrefutable. This book, originally published 1988, describes the battle between foundationalism, which places belief in God in the first category, and various other approaches to the problem of faith – ‘Reformed Epistemology’, hermeneutics; and sociological analysis. In the concluding section of the book, an examination of concept formation in religious belief is used to reinterpret the gap between the expressive power of language and the reality of God.

part One|127 pages

Can There Be A Religious Epistemology?

chapter 1|11 pages

Foundationalism and Religion

A Philosophical Scandal

chapter 4|16 pages

Basic Propositions

Reformed Epistemology and Wittgenstein's On Certainty

chapter 6|19 pages

Religion and Epistemology

chapter 7|21 pages

A Reformed Epistemology?

part Two|63 pages

Manners Without Grammar

chapter 10|17 pages

The Hermeneutic Option

chapter 11|6 pages

Optional Descriptions?

chapter 13|16 pages

The Sociologising of Values

chapter 14|9 pages

Religion in the Marketplace

part Three|59 pages

Grammar and Theology

part Four|81 pages

Religion and Concept-Formation

chapter 19|18 pages

Epistemological Mysteries

chapter 20|18 pages

A Place for Mystery

chapter 22|30 pages

Religious Concepts

Misunderstanding and Lack of Understanding