A PhD student wrote me asking: “Being a student of theology, from the philosophical background, I have understood the role of reason in theology. But I cannot assimilate the place of faith in philosophy.”
I would answer quoting Anselm of Canterbury, who stated “credo ut intelligam, intelligo ut credam”, namely “I believe in order to understand, I understand in order to believe”. The latter part corresponds to what the students labelled as the role of reason in theology, namely the need to continue improving one’s understanding of theological truths in order to deepen one’s faith in them. The first part is an answer to the student’s query about the role of faith.
In other words, unless one had faith in, say, the real presence of Śrī Viṣṇu in a given idol, one would not start elaborating a theory about the arcāvatāra. In a Catholic milieu, one might think at Antoine Arnauld’s discussion of the signification of demonstrative pronouns inspired by his faith in the transubstantiation during the Mess (in his L’Art de penser).
Long story short:
1. Faith, I think, can motivate one to look at a topic one would have not thought of.
2. Moreover, it can help one overcome one’s initial disbelief and think more thoroughly about a topic.
This should not be confused, however, with the case of stiffening in a position without accepting to discuss counter-positions. Faith can promote philosophy if it is so self-confident to be able to lead to an open-minded intellectual journey.
What do readers think? Can faith help philosophical enterprises?
I get uncomfortable when I hear the word faith used in a philosophical discussion. Faith implies “pretending to know something we don’t know”. Trust on the other hand is built on prior knowledge/experience, Bayesian statistic so to speak. I board an airplane with the trust that the lady sitting in the cockpit dressed appropriately like a pilot actually is capable of flying the plane safely. However, if I hear the pilot talking to the copilot about a divine visual and auditory hallucination which she is experiencing, I would lose my trust and disembark the plane. In this case, I would only fly if I had faith in the pilot. How exactly are you using the word faith? When you use the word “faith”, do you mean to say “trust” based on Bayesian statistic?
Thanks Salil. I think we are mixing levels. No one on this blog would ever claim that one should, say, assume a certain medicine or choose a certain pilot on the basis of faith. These choices are rightly ruled by the epistemology of testimony (we trust people because they have internationally recognised degrees etc.). Faith has its role in a completely distinct realm, namely that of one’s relation with (one form of the other of) the divine.
What we are discussing in this post is rather the role that faith can have within one’s philosophical journey. You seem to say that it cannot, just like it cannot have any role in science. I claim it can, insofar as it can direct one’s attention to dig further. If you allow me a parallel from a discipline we are both not experts in, think of the discovery of the archaeological site conventionally known as “Troy” (in the following: ArchaeologicalTroy). What was discovered is surely not the “Troy” Schliemann was searching for (in the following just Troy), but without his interest for his Troy, he would have never started the searches which finally led to the discovery of the ArchaeologicalTroy.
I hope you feel less unconfortable now!
Thank you for the post Elisa!
In the quest for truth, faith and reason have their own role in their respective realms. Therefore they don’t contradict each other as they have their goal in common. The words of Anselm explain clear the relation between faith and reason.
I affirm your point of faith as the motivating force in philosophy. For example, in the case of two pramāṇas namely anumāna and śabda, the role of faith is obvious. Even the process of saṃvāda needs faith right at the beginning.
Thus faith is not unreasonable act or a fanatic belief. As you have mentioned, faith is also in process, ready to face the counter-positions because the expression of faith is rational. It dares to move forward when reason hesitates to take decision in the intellectual enterprises.