Foundations of Reformed Epistemology and the mesure of Reid`s Influence

Subject Areas : Epistemological researches

Abbas Yazdani ¹ , Hosein ali Nasrollahi ²

1 - Associate professor of Tehran University
2 - PhD Candidate of philosophy of religion, Tehran University

Received: 2017-08-29 Accepted : 2018-02-13 Published : 2018-03-21

Keywords: Conceptual Scheme, Empirical Content, Third Dogma of Empiricism, Proximal Theory of Meaning, Distal Theory of Meaning,

Abstract :

Reformed epistemology as a new school in philosophy of religion, particularly in religious epistemology which criticizing classic and modern foundationalism on the criterion of rationality of religious beliefs claims that belief in God can be intelligible regardless to be  successful or unsuccesful of evidence or arguments for the existence of God. It is claimed that reformed epistemologists have been significantly influenced by eighteen`s century Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid (1710-1796). The purpose of this paper is to assess this claim by considering the foundations of reformed epistemology according to Plantinga, Wolterstorff, Alston and Reid`s writings as well as writings about Reid from one side, and analyzing and comparing them on the other side. The conclusion is that reformed epistemology has been influenced by Reid in it`s  foundations of general epistemology, but according to the religious epistemology, one can not attribute easily the main claim of this school, that is, basicality of belief in God, to Reid.

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