Epistemology and Faith

Epistemology and Faith

• Epistemology is the study of knowledge, exploring how we know what we know.
• Sources of knowledge include perception (but can be illusory), introspection (which can be flawed by factors like phantom pains or drugs), memory (with potential errors like the Mandela effect), reason (which is based on premises, making it fallible), and testimony (which can be untrue).
• Faith and ethics often transcend these categories, challenging simple proofs.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave

• Plato's allegory describes the difficult journey from ignorance to enlightenment.
• The process of leaving the cave and experiencing light is painful, symbolizing the struggle of growth.

Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed

• Rambam uses light and dark as metaphors for accessing truth.
• Moshe is presented as the highest truth.
• There are five levels of truth, with the current level representing reflections of higher truths.

Rabbeinu Bachya's Chovot Halevavot

• This text uses teleological arguments.
• Examples like an irrigation wheel and splattered ink exemplify natural design.
• The assumption is that such order couldn't be explained by chance.

Rambam's Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah

• This text presents a cosmological argument for God as the first cause.
• Everything has a cause, and a finite chain of causes can't cause itself.
• The universe requires a first cause – G-d.

Teleological Argument

• Teleological argument: The universe's order and design point to a designer – G-d.
• Criticisms: The infinite universe theory makes the likelihood of a specific planet with design uncertain, thus challenging proof.

Cosmological Argument

• Cosmological argument: Every effect from a cause, tracing back to a First Cause – G-d.
• It does not necessarily refute the possibility of an infinite chain of cause and effect.

Howard Singer's "With Mind and Heart"

• This text argues reason cannot definitively prove or disprove God's existence.
• The teleological argument offers a strong theory for the existence of God.

Pascal's Wager

• Pascal's Wager suggests belief in God is the best bet.
• Criticisms of the wager include:
• Belief and betting aren't the same.
• Betting doesn't lead to genuine belief.
• There's also the question of religious choice and potential rewards/punishments.
• Risks involved of losing in faith.

Shalom Carmi's "Letter to a Philosophical Dropout from Orthodoxy"

• The text argues important decisions often involve intuition or gut feeling, not just reason.
• The text also emphasizes the importance of understanding that logic of the heart are things we know but cannot prove, like love.
• Implies that many believe in God based on personal, emotional reasons.

Cheryl Berman's "Reasonable Doubts"

• Faith is considered "non-rational," beyond or above reason or logic.
• Emotional intelligence plays a role in faith, implying that faith is not a purely rational phenomenon.

"And From There You Shall Seek" and Related Texts

• This text uses metaphors like a loving father and child to emphasize that we know things from the heart, without needing proofs.

Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith

• These are not a prescribed set of commandments but a summary of the author's perspective.

Rambam on Knowing and Loving God

• Develops a relationship with God though effort and dedication, including study of Torah, science, and philosophy.

Rabbi Norman Lamm on Faith as a Marriage

• Faith is like a marriage involving risk and uncertainty.
• The decision stems from a sense of intuition about worthiness.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's "God in Search of Man"

• Emphasizes the effort, commitment, and continuous search for connection in a human relationship with God.
• The idea is that God constantly seeks and desires connection with humans.

Rabbi Norman Lamm on Faith and Doubt

• Faith has three types:
• Cognitive (intellectual understanding).
• Affective (emotional connection).
• Functional (how faith shapes life).
• Doubt is important in the realm of cognitive faith.
• Liquid doubt (comes from engagement) vs. frozen doubt (stuck in uncertainty). Doubt is vital in developing a deep faith. It's impossible to have action-oriented functional faith with doubt in action.