Philosophy of Religion · Justification of religious belief

Fideism

Faith is not the conclusion of evidence but a decision beyond it.

What it claims

Fideism holds that religious belief is not justified by theoretical evidence or argument; to demand such justification is itself to misunderstand the nature of faith. What it denies is Clifford's evidentialism, that it is always wrong to believe without sufficient evidence, not that faith has no reasons at all. The central argument is the self-refutation of evidentialism: the evidentialist principle is not itself supported by sufficient evidence, so it fails its own test.

Nearby positions

Key thinkers

Blaise Pascal · Søren Kierkegaard · William James · Ludwig Wittgenstein · Tertullian