"I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences
“You only believe in God because you were raised in a religious family.” Propositions such as this are understandably concerning to anyone who holds religious convictions. Reason being, the realisation that our belief in God may have been a result of irrelevant influences, such as our environment or...
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| Format: | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2023
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165443 |
| _version_ | 1811695377245536256 |
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| author | Tan, Joy Angelina |
| author2 | Anu Selva-Thomson |
| author_facet | Anu Selva-Thomson Tan, Joy Angelina |
| author_sort | Tan, Joy Angelina |
| collection | NTU |
| description | “You only believe in God because you were raised in a religious family.” Propositions such as this are understandably concerning to anyone who holds religious convictions. Reason being, the realisation that our belief in God may have been a result of irrelevant influences, such as our environment or upbringing, poses a significant challenge to the rationality and reliability of our religious belief. This paper, therefore, aims to defend the rationality of religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences. First, I argue that we are within our rational rights to maintain our belief in God even upon realising that it may have been affected by irrelevant influences. Secondly, I demonstrate how irrelevant influences can play a role in grounding our religious belief, but in a way which does not undermine the rationality of our belief in God. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:22:30Z |
| format | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| id | ntu-10356/165443 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:22:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Nanyang Technological University |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1654432023-04-01T16:56:17Z "I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences Tan, Joy Angelina Anu Selva-Thomson School of Humanities anu.selva-thomson@ntu.edu.sg Humanities::Philosophy “You only believe in God because you were raised in a religious family.” Propositions such as this are understandably concerning to anyone who holds religious convictions. Reason being, the realisation that our belief in God may have been a result of irrelevant influences, such as our environment or upbringing, poses a significant challenge to the rationality and reliability of our religious belief. This paper, therefore, aims to defend the rationality of religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences. First, I argue that we are within our rational rights to maintain our belief in God even upon realising that it may have been affected by irrelevant influences. Secondly, I demonstrate how irrelevant influences can play a role in grounding our religious belief, but in a way which does not undermine the rationality of our belief in God. Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy 2023-03-27T07:14:04Z 2023-03-27T07:14:04Z 2023 Final Year Project (FYP) Tan, J. A. (2023). "I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences. Final Year Project (FYP), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165443 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165443 en application/pdf Nanyang Technological University |
| spellingShingle | Humanities::Philosophy Tan, Joy Angelina "I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences |
| title | "I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences |
| title_full | "I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences |
| title_fullStr | "I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences |
| title_full_unstemmed | "I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences |
| title_short | "I believe in god": defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences |
| title_sort | i believe in god defending religious belief against the challenge of epistemically irrelevant influences |
| topic | Humanities::Philosophy |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165443 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tanjoyangelina ibelieveingoddefendingreligiousbeliefagainstthechallengeofepistemicallyirrelevantinfluences |