ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the nature of presuppositions and their necessity in scholarship, advancing five theses about them, firstly, that all rational enquiry requires presuppositions, secondly, that presuppositions are unavoidable, thirdly, that not all premises are presuppositions (here the chapter argues that what makes a premise into a real presupposition is when it is not of merely local importance, but is, rather, a matter of commitment and exercises control over an enquiry), fourthly, that presuppositions come in different strengths (from ruling out the truth of certain conclusions to being a prerequisite of their meaning), and, fifthly, that presuppositions must be distinguished from motives or drives (which are merely causal, implying nothing about the beliefs that a person will come to form).
The chapter then goes on to apply this discussion to the question of presuppositions in Biblical study, taking as examples the presupposition that all of which we can possibly be certain are beliefs and experiences of some early followers of Jesus, and the presupposition that if one error has been detected in a narrative then all the remainder of the narrative is subject to dispute.
In the final section, it is argued not only that there is objective historical truth, but also that, even if it is impossible for us to gain it, that is no reason not to attempt to do so.
It is argued that just because one has presuppositions it does not follow that they dictate one’s conclusions; all one’s presuppositions ought to be kept under review. This means that, in order to cultivate a true Christian objectivism, firstly, the original documents of Christianity must be given the opportunity to reform one’s presuppositions. It is conceded that such a review can never be carried out infallibly, and that one can call one’s presuppositions into question only in the light of other presuppositions, but that, nevertheless, the only long-term hope of avoiding a non-Christian dogmatism is to travel around the feedback circuit as often as one can. It also means, secondly, that one should examine the presuppositions of others, since it may be that these presuppositions will turn out to be more authentically Christian than those with which one is currently operating.
The chapter concludes by stressing that objectivity, which is concerned with procedures, is different from neutrality, which is concerned with outcomes. It is argued that the Christian should be concerned more with objectivity than neutrality.
