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The perspectival account of faith

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 August 2022

Chris Tweedt*
Affiliation:
Department of Philosophy and Religion, Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA 23606, USA

Abstract

This article articulates and defends an underexplored account of faith – the perspectival account of faith – according to which faith is a value-oriented perspective on the world towards which the subject has a pro-attitude. After describing this account of faith and outlining what it is to have faith on the perspectival account, I show that the perspectival account meets methodological criteria for an account of faith. I then show that this account of faith can be used to unify various faith locutions: having faith that p (propositional faith), having faith in something (attitudinal faith), being a person of faith (global faith), articles of faith (creedal faith), and acts of faith (praxical faith). Finally, since the perspectival account of faith is a cognitive account of faith, I defend the perspectival view against objections to cognitive accounts of faith.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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