ABSTRACT
Proceeding now onwards from the conceptual clarification of fideism, we need to take a brief glance at the development of recent philosophy and its influence on theological method. The major philosophical upheaval in the 20th century-was the epistemological revolution caused by the full-scale collapse of Cartesian foundationalism. Classical Cartesian foundationalism claimed that all non-basic beliefs must be supported by a finite chain of beliefs; thus beliefs cannot circularly justify themselves. Foundationalism divides justified beliefs into those that are justified by inference from others (mediate, non-basic beliefs) and those that are justified without inference (immediate, basic beliefs). A series of mediate beliefs can be derived from immediate beliefs, which keeps the inference truth preserving. Immediate beliefs are such that are. in some sense, intrinsically reasonable for a subject to believe. A classical example of such a belief, with its resulting scientific method, is René Descartes's dictum "cogito, ergo sum," where the indubitability of cogito is used as the basis for all knowledge. Hence, it is our experience ("I think") that has formed the foundation for knowledge. 1
