On Believing - a Reply to Professor R. W. Sleeper
I am very grateful to Professor R. W. Sleeper for his critical comments on my article, as also for the kind way in which he has expressed them. I should now like to make a few comments on his comments.(1) May I first say that I have no objection to being metaphysical? I do not like the word metaphy...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
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| Published: |
Cambridge Univ. Press
[1967]
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| In: |
Religious studies
Year: 1967, Volume: 2, Issue: 2, Pages: 243-245 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | I am very grateful to Professor R. W. Sleeper for his critical comments on my article, as also for the kind way in which he has expressed them. I should now like to make a few comments on his comments.(1) May I first say that I have no objection to being metaphysical? I do not like the word metaphysics' very much, and wish that we could find a less provocative one. But still, I do think that the difference between the reducible and the irreducible belief-in is a difference which there really is (metaphysically really', if you like). Moreover, I fully admit that when we believe in God we are making a factual claim. It is, of course, a factual claim of rather a special kind. If it is a fact that there is a supreme Being, The Lord of All', this is not just one fact among others. It is not quite like the fact that there is a stormy north-westerly wind this morning. One could not just give a list of facts and add at the end, There is also another fact which I had forgotten to mention: there is a God'. All the same, this factual claim, like others, does need to be justified; and how is it to be justified? I am afraid that the brief hint which I offered elsewhere on this subject is indeed not good enough' as it stands (Sleeper p. 79). To be even half good enough, it needs much more elaboration, and I agree that there is much force in Mr Gunderson's criticisms. |
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| ISSN: | 1469-901X |
| Reference: | Kritin von "On Believing (1966)"
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religious studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1017/S0034412500002791 |