1. M A I N Q U E S T I O N - I S A R G U M E N T
I R R E L E V A N T T O B E L I E F ?
Is religious belief properly
basic?

2. Plantinga and Reformed Epistemology
— This argument involves a rejection of the claims
of classical foundationalism - which claims that
foundational/basic beliefs must be self-evident or
infallible.
— Plantinga suggests that religious belief can be considered
a basic belief. Belief in God can be basic for a
person.
— Said simply- A person can be rationally justified in
believing in God even if he has no good
arguments (of the theological kind) for the existence of
God.
— Plantinga goes so far as to say that a person can know
God.

3. The grounds for religious belief
— Plantinga says that belief in God is basic; but that it
has grounds and can be justified.
— He argues this point using several examples:
- A sense of wonderment about the universe can give
rise to the belief that it was created by God
- - Reading the Bible can lead some to believe that God
is speaking to them personally
- - A feeling of guilt (for doing the wrong thing) can
give rise to the belief that God disapproves of what
one has done.

4. The grounds for religious belief
— For each of these examples, Plantinga argues that
there is a justifying or grounding situation
which gives rise to belief.
— In each case the justified belief is not directly
that God exists. The belief which is considered
basic is that the universe was created by God and so
on.
— Plantinga’s suggestion is that religious belief is more
to do with beliefs about God, rather than belief in
God’s objective existence. However, the latter, entails
the former and this poses a philosophical problem.

5. Is argument irrelevant to religious belief?
— Simply put- Plantinga says no. Someone who has been
brought up to believe in God may experience pain and
suffering and as a result question their basic belief in
God. A reflection on the problem of evil and suffering is
entirely relevant to whether this person upholds their
belief or rejects it.
— Similarly, someone who does not believe in God might,
through rational argument, come to accept that there is a
God.
— Essentially, Plantinga argues that one does not
have to have arguments in order to believe in
God.

6. Main strength of the argument
— Plantinga is correct in saying that we often
believe in things which cannot be easily
proven. He argues that, as far as proof goes,
religious belief is no better nor worse off than other
forms of beliefs that we accept without evidence.

7. Main criticism of the argument
The Great Pumpkin Objection
- However; there could be any number of beliefs that
someone might claim as basic- Santa, voodoo,
supernatural beings, the great pumpkin that returns
every Halloween. Could these also be considered basic?
- Plantinga says that religious belief is different because it
has grounds, but whilst he may think that belief in
something like the ‘great pumpkin’ is not properly basic,
someone else might.
- Beliefs in witches or many gods, could be basic for a
whole culture- surely by his own standards such beliefs
should be considered rational?

8. Continued
— It is hard to be entirely convinced by Plantinga’s
argument, even though it is generally right to say
that one can know something even if one cannot
prove it to others.
— The argument should rather emphasize the role that
belief plays in deepening one’s faith and that it is
when it does that we might be able to say that
someone knows God.