The philosophy of religion is an intrinsic part of the richness of Western philosophy. Faith and Reason displays in historical perspective some of the rich dialogue between religion and philosophy over two millennia, beginning with Greek reflections about God and the gods and ending with twentieth-century debate about faith in a world that tends to reserve its reverence for science. Paul Helm uses as a case study the question of whether the world is eternal or whether it was created out of nothing, following this theme from Plato through medieval thought to modern scientific...

This is a major study of the theological thought of John Calvin, which examines his central theological ideas through a philosophical lens, looking at issues in Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Ethics. The study, the first of its kind, is concerned with how Calvin actually uses philosophical ideas in his work as a theologian and biblical commentator. The book also includes a careful examination of those ideas of Calvin to which the Reformed Epistemologists appeal, to find grounds and precedent for their development of Reformed Epistemology', notably the sensus divinitatis and the internal...

Paul Helm investigates what religious faith is and what makes it reasonable. While religious beliefs need to stand up to philosophical scrutiny just like other beliefs, religious epistemology must respect the distinctiveness of their subject-matter. Helm argues that the reasonableness of faith depends not only on beliefs about the world but also on beliefs about oneself and on what one is willing to trust.

Reissue from the classic Muirhead Library of Philosophy series (originally published between 1890s - 1970s).

How do we form and modify our beliefs about the world? While accepting that what we believe is determined by evidence, and therefore is not directly under our control, Professor Helm argues that no theory of knowledge is complete without standards for accepting and rejecting evidence as belief-worthy. These standards, or belief-policies, are not themselves determined by evidence, but determine what counts as credible evidence. Unlike single beliefs, Helm argues, belief-policies are directly subject to the will, and consequently to weakness of will and self-deception. Helm reveals the...

Beginning with Augustine, philosophers and theologians have felt it necessary not only to cogently articulate the content of the Christian faith but also to defend philosophically the reasonableness of faith itself. Faith and Understanding is the first book-length study of the "faith seeking understanding" program and the central issues that arise from it-the relation between faith and reason, the claims of natural theology, and the pursuit of the vision of God. In Part One Paul Helm provides a general discussion of these themes, seeking both to contextualize the debate and to engage with...

In this book I offer a view of my own, though not one that is peculiar to me. The chief reason for this approach is to try to avoid the blandness and obliqueness that often come from setting one view beside another in a 'neutral' way. - from the Introduction by the author.

Paul Helm investigates what religious faith is and what makes it reasonable. While religious beliefs need to stand up to philosophical scrutiny just like other beliefs, religious epistemology must respect the distinctiveness of their subject-matter. Helm argues that the reasonableness of faith depends not only on beliefs about the world but also on beliefs about oneself and on what one is willing to trust.

How do we form and modify our beliefs about the world? While accepting that what we believe is determined by evidence, and therefore is not directly under our control, Professor Helm argues that no theory of knowledge is complete without standards for accepting and rejecting evidence as belief-worthy. These standards, or belief-policies, are not themselves determined by evidence, but determine what counts as credible evidence. Unlike single beliefs, Helm argues, belief-policies are directly subject to the will, and consequently to weakness of will and self-deception. Helm reveals the...