The document defines and discusses the concept of fideism. It begins with the etymology and definition of fideism, explaining that it is an epistemological theory where faith is considered independent from or superior to reason. It then provides a brief history of the term, tracing it back to 19th century Catholic thought. A key figure discussed is Blaise Pascal and his wager arguing that belief in God can be rational. The document concludes with a reference to Pope John Paul II's warning about a resurgence of fideism in his 1998 encyclical Fides et Ratio.
4. ETYMOLOGY & DEFINITION
Fides, the Latin word for faith, and can be
rendered literally as faith-ism.
Fideism is an epistemological theory which
maintains that faith is independent of
reason, or that reason and faith are hostile to
each other and faith is superior at arriving at
particular truths.
5. HISTORY
The term “fideism” appears to have entered the philosophical lexicon by way of
theology in the late nineteenth century. It was originally used in reference to a
movement within Roman Catholic thought, also known as traditionalism, which
emphasized, over against rationalism, the role of tradition as the medium by means of
which divine revelation is communicated, and which was sometimes conjoined with a
conservative social and political agenda. Although of late modern vintage, the term
“fideism” has since been applied retrospectively to thinkers at least as far back as the
second century C.E.
6. BLAISE PASCAL
Pascal’s wager, practical argument for
belief in God formulated by French
mathematician and philosopher Blaise
Pascal. In his Pensées (1657–58),
Pascal applied elements of game theory
to show that belief in the Christian
religion is rational.
7. PASCAL’S WAGER
GOD EXISTS GOD DOES NOT
EXIST
BELIEVE INFINITE GAIN NO (OR FINITE)
LOSS/FINITE GAIN
DISBELIEF INFINITE LOSS FINITE GAIN
8. FIDES ET RATIO
In the 1998 encyclical Fides et Ratio,
John Paul II warned of “a resurgence
of fideism, which fails to recognize the
importance of rational knowledge and
philosophical discourse for the
understanding of faith, indeed for the
very possibility of belief in God.”
9. “To one who has faith, no explanation is
necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is
possible.”
- Fray Tommaso D’Aquino, OP
“What indeed has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” (246) This question of the relation between reason – here represented by Athens – and faith – represented by Jerusalem – was posed by the church father Tertullian (c.160–230 CE), and it remains a central preoccupation among contemporary philosophers of religion.
"Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart the desire to know the truth — in a word, to know himself — so that by knowing and loving God, men and women can come to the fullness of the truth about themselves"
