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Research paper thumbnail of The Rationality of Faith in Plantinga's View

In Schreiber Gerhard (ed.), Interesse am Anderen: Interdisziplinäre Beiträge zum Verhältnis von Religion und Rationalität. De Gruyter. pp. 335-366 , 2019

This paper offers an evaluation of Plantinga’s perspective regarding the knowledge of the truth o... more This paper offers an evaluation of Plantinga’s perspective regarding the knowledge of the truth of Christianity: the philosopher's intention is to oppose the de jure objection to Christianity (which suggests that one does not even need to know if the Christian religion is true in order to dismiss it; such a dismissal merely requires to prove that Christianity is irrational).
By contrast, he argues that if Christianity is true, then very probably it is also rational and warranted. Moreover, he suggests that for a believer faith has warrant, because God bequeathed such passion to her; thus, in principle, faith is a special kind of knowledge whose content is known through a cognitive process in which the Holy Spirit induces in a person the belief in the statements of gospel. The beliefs constituting faith are thus taken as basic and are legitimate from both an internalist and an externalist perspective: from an internalist perspective they are justified and internally rational, while from an externalist perspective they are externally rational and warranted. Plantinga also argues that these beliefs are warranted even if one cannot make a good historical case for the truth of the state- ments of the gospel – by his light, what’s important here is only the fact that the faith is well grounded (in an externalist sense).
The paper then deals critically with various objections against this Plantingian model: that it is irrational because here faith seems nothing more than “a blind leap over a crevasse in the night,” that many bizarre religions might be considered rational on this basis, that it does not prove that faith has warrant, that the atheists are – contrary to Plantinga’s preoccupations – primarily interested in whether Christian theism is (given the available evidence) true and that faith requires historical arguments in order to count as real knowledge. Plantinga’s rebuttals to each of these arguments are in the end suggested.

Research paper thumbnail of Meta-inductia pesimista: Argumente pro si contra

Revista de Filosofie, 2010

There are some arguments supporting the pessimistic meta-induction, coming from the direction of ... more There are some arguments supporting the pessimistic meta-induction, coming from the direction of quantum theory (A. Kukla and J. Walmsley), from the direction of Laudan’s list with successful but false theories, and from the specific direction of the phlogiston theory (whom Kukla Walmsley, and S. Psillos consider to be false). Against these arguments we believe we can successfully oppose, in the first case the interactive quantum realism of I. Niiniluoto, in the second case the realism of the theoretical theoretical constituents responsible for the empirical success of the theories of S. Psillos, and in the third case the analysis of the phlogiston theory done by V. Verronen, R. Vihalemm and E. McMullin (who suggested that this theory was simultaneously insufficiently mature and approximately true). Our conclusion does not necessary prove that the perspective of the scientific realism is true, but rather that the pessimistic meta-induction attack against it proves to be unconvincing.

Research paper thumbnail of PERSONS IN COMMUNION, HUMAN AND DIVINE

Christian Values vs. Contemporary Values, 2024

In many respects modernity had a dehumanizing effect on human beings, by its individualist or col... more In many respects modernity had a dehumanizing effect on human beings, by its individualist or collectivist societies, by its reductionist way of conceiving reality in terms of mathematical forms and organic structures, or by its tendency – at least in certain theological circles - to understand God in terms of an Absolute Subject.

In this article we intend to suggest a way in which Christianity could offer a solution to this situation, by providing a communal model of defining the authentic human being. According to this model, to be a real human means to be a person who lives in real communion with other human beings. Therefore, one of the goals of this essay is to understand the concepts of person and communion. In order to do that, an important step would be that of discovering, by following the nietzschean example, the genealogy of the concept person. The French personalist philosopher Denis de Rougemont suggested that this concept has its origin in the fourth century AD, being a consequence of the creedal formulations of the Ecumenical Councils. In this sense, he affirmed that:

If Europe is to survive, it needs to return to the roots of its spirituality, stated for the first time at the Councils of Niceea and Chalcedon (de Rougemont, p. 40).

The present essay intends to develop this argument, showing the ways in which various thinkers, more or less contemporary with us, illustrated and deepened De Rougemont’s thesis.

Research paper thumbnail of The Epistemology of Alvin Plantinga

In this article we intend to present Alvin Plantinga's epistemology by showing the way in which i... more In this article we intend to present Alvin Plantinga's epistemology by showing the way in which its central concepts: the Reidian foundationalism, the partial critique of evidentialism, warrant, proper function, reliability and externalismare logically interrelated. A section of this article is reserved to the critiques of his account of warrant brought by Peter Klein and Richard Feldman and to the way in which Plantinga answered them, by developing the concepts of cognitive maxi-and mini-environment. In the end we will see the way in which Plantinga's epistemology relates to both modernism and postmodernism.

Research paper thumbnail of Climacus and the Arguments for God’s Existence

Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook, 2015

This article offers an evaluation of Climacus’ objections to the arguments for the existence of G... more This article offers an evaluation of Climacus’ objections to the arguments for the existence of God. With one exception (the critique of the ontological argument, which seems to anticipate the contemporary logico-empiricist position), these objections are found wanting. In the first general objection, Climacus seems to jump illegitimately from the objective reality of God’s existence (or non-existence) to the subjective conviction about God’s existence (or nonexistence). In the second, one might find exceptions to Climacus’ assertion that one can never deduce the existence of persons from the facts of the palpable world. Next, the objection against the teleological argument is inconclusive, since, in my opinion, Climacus does not offer a clear structure to-or critique of-this argument. Lastly, the ethico-religious objection fails because God’s existence- even if one would accept the reality of a sensus divinitatis-is not yet transparently evident to us. Nonetheless, in Climacus’ tre...

Books by Valentin Teodorescu

Research paper thumbnail of Justified Faith without Reasons? A Comparison between Søren Kierkegaard’s and Alvin Plantinga’s Epistemologies

De Gryuter, 2023

This study intends to show that the question whether faith can be justified without proofs can be... more This study intends to show that the question whether faith can be justified without proofs can be resolved by importing ideas from Kierkegaard’s and Plantinga’s affirmative take on the matter. There is a deep similarity between the way they understand belief in God and belief in Christianity: for both the first is considered universal human knowledge and the second seen as a gift from God. Against the charge that such an understanding is irrational Plantinga offers an externalist epistemological model which allows those beliefs to be warranted. The authors also share the modern idea that there is an objective truth, combining it with the postmodern stance that no method exists which would guarantee access to it. A specific contribution on Kierkegaard’s part to the understanding of the rationality of transitions toward a Christian stage of existence is to show in detail the way in which such transitions are mediated through inwardnes - a perspective akin to Michael Polanyi’s scientific epistemology. One can see in both authors not only a deep commonality of ideas, but also a remarkable way in which their understandings augment each other. Whereas Plantinga’s inquiry contributes to the rational plausibility of a “Justified Faith without Reasons” project, Kierkegaard’s venture balances such a logical-analytic effort with a deep existential inquiry.

Research paper thumbnail of The Rationality of Faith in Plantinga's View

In Schreiber Gerhard (ed.), Interesse am Anderen: Interdisziplinäre Beiträge zum Verhältnis von Religion und Rationalität. De Gruyter. pp. 335-366 , 2019

This paper offers an evaluation of Plantinga’s perspective regarding the knowledge of the truth o... more This paper offers an evaluation of Plantinga’s perspective regarding the knowledge of the truth of Christianity: the philosopher's intention is to oppose the de jure objection to Christianity (which suggests that one does not even need to know if the Christian religion is true in order to dismiss it; such a dismissal merely requires to prove that Christianity is irrational).
By contrast, he argues that if Christianity is true, then very probably it is also rational and warranted. Moreover, he suggests that for a believer faith has warrant, because God bequeathed such passion to her; thus, in principle, faith is a special kind of knowledge whose content is known through a cognitive process in which the Holy Spirit induces in a person the belief in the statements of gospel. The beliefs constituting faith are thus taken as basic and are legitimate from both an internalist and an externalist perspective: from an internalist perspective they are justified and internally rational, while from an externalist perspective they are externally rational and warranted. Plantinga also argues that these beliefs are warranted even if one cannot make a good historical case for the truth of the state- ments of the gospel – by his light, what’s important here is only the fact that the faith is well grounded (in an externalist sense).
The paper then deals critically with various objections against this Plantingian model: that it is irrational because here faith seems nothing more than “a blind leap over a crevasse in the night,” that many bizarre religions might be considered rational on this basis, that it does not prove that faith has warrant, that the atheists are – contrary to Plantinga’s preoccupations – primarily interested in whether Christian theism is (given the available evidence) true and that faith requires historical arguments in order to count as real knowledge. Plantinga’s rebuttals to each of these arguments are in the end suggested.

Research paper thumbnail of Meta-inductia pesimista: Argumente pro si contra

Revista de Filosofie, 2010

There are some arguments supporting the pessimistic meta-induction, coming from the direction of ... more There are some arguments supporting the pessimistic meta-induction, coming from the direction of quantum theory (A. Kukla and J. Walmsley), from the direction of Laudan’s list with successful but false theories, and from the specific direction of the phlogiston theory (whom Kukla Walmsley, and S. Psillos consider to be false). Against these arguments we believe we can successfully oppose, in the first case the interactive quantum realism of I. Niiniluoto, in the second case the realism of the theoretical theoretical constituents responsible for the empirical success of the theories of S. Psillos, and in the third case the analysis of the phlogiston theory done by V. Verronen, R. Vihalemm and E. McMullin (who suggested that this theory was simultaneously insufficiently mature and approximately true). Our conclusion does not necessary prove that the perspective of the scientific realism is true, but rather that the pessimistic meta-induction attack against it proves to be unconvincing.

Research paper thumbnail of PERSONS IN COMMUNION, HUMAN AND DIVINE

Christian Values vs. Contemporary Values, 2024

In many respects modernity had a dehumanizing effect on human beings, by its individualist or col... more In many respects modernity had a dehumanizing effect on human beings, by its individualist or collectivist societies, by its reductionist way of conceiving reality in terms of mathematical forms and organic structures, or by its tendency – at least in certain theological circles - to understand God in terms of an Absolute Subject.

In this article we intend to suggest a way in which Christianity could offer a solution to this situation, by providing a communal model of defining the authentic human being. According to this model, to be a real human means to be a person who lives in real communion with other human beings. Therefore, one of the goals of this essay is to understand the concepts of person and communion. In order to do that, an important step would be that of discovering, by following the nietzschean example, the genealogy of the concept person. The French personalist philosopher Denis de Rougemont suggested that this concept has its origin in the fourth century AD, being a consequence of the creedal formulations of the Ecumenical Councils. In this sense, he affirmed that:

If Europe is to survive, it needs to return to the roots of its spirituality, stated for the first time at the Councils of Niceea and Chalcedon (de Rougemont, p. 40).

The present essay intends to develop this argument, showing the ways in which various thinkers, more or less contemporary with us, illustrated and deepened De Rougemont’s thesis.

Research paper thumbnail of The Epistemology of Alvin Plantinga

In this article we intend to present Alvin Plantinga's epistemology by showing the way in which i... more In this article we intend to present Alvin Plantinga's epistemology by showing the way in which its central concepts: the Reidian foundationalism, the partial critique of evidentialism, warrant, proper function, reliability and externalismare logically interrelated. A section of this article is reserved to the critiques of his account of warrant brought by Peter Klein and Richard Feldman and to the way in which Plantinga answered them, by developing the concepts of cognitive maxi-and mini-environment. In the end we will see the way in which Plantinga's epistemology relates to both modernism and postmodernism.

Research paper thumbnail of Climacus and the Arguments for God’s Existence

Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook, 2015

This article offers an evaluation of Climacus’ objections to the arguments for the existence of G... more This article offers an evaluation of Climacus’ objections to the arguments for the existence of God. With one exception (the critique of the ontological argument, which seems to anticipate the contemporary logico-empiricist position), these objections are found wanting. In the first general objection, Climacus seems to jump illegitimately from the objective reality of God’s existence (or non-existence) to the subjective conviction about God’s existence (or nonexistence). In the second, one might find exceptions to Climacus’ assertion that one can never deduce the existence of persons from the facts of the palpable world. Next, the objection against the teleological argument is inconclusive, since, in my opinion, Climacus does not offer a clear structure to-or critique of-this argument. Lastly, the ethico-religious objection fails because God’s existence- even if one would accept the reality of a sensus divinitatis-is not yet transparently evident to us. Nonetheless, in Climacus’ tre...

Research paper thumbnail of Justified Faith without Reasons? A Comparison between Søren Kierkegaard’s and Alvin Plantinga’s Epistemologies

De Gryuter, 2023

This study intends to show that the question whether faith can be justified without proofs can be... more This study intends to show that the question whether faith can be justified without proofs can be resolved by importing ideas from Kierkegaard’s and Plantinga’s affirmative take on the matter. There is a deep similarity between the way they understand belief in God and belief in Christianity: for both the first is considered universal human knowledge and the second seen as a gift from God. Against the charge that such an understanding is irrational Plantinga offers an externalist epistemological model which allows those beliefs to be warranted. The authors also share the modern idea that there is an objective truth, combining it with the postmodern stance that no method exists which would guarantee access to it. A specific contribution on Kierkegaard’s part to the understanding of the rationality of transitions toward a Christian stage of existence is to show in detail the way in which such transitions are mediated through inwardnes - a perspective akin to Michael Polanyi’s scientific epistemology. One can see in both authors not only a deep commonality of ideas, but also a remarkable way in which their understandings augment each other. Whereas Plantinga’s inquiry contributes to the rational plausibility of a “Justified Faith without Reasons” project, Kierkegaard’s venture balances such a logical-analytic effort with a deep existential inquiry.