faith and inquiry

Contemporary philosophers of religion have predominantly focused on understanding the nature of faith, yet there has been a lack of attention towards a particular type of faith that we can call inquiry-based faith. this paper aims to address this gap by exploring some challenges associated with inquiry-based faith. i argue, in particular, that while this is a widespread kind of faith, we face a dilemma in showing how it is possible and plausible. on the one hand, faith that p requires acceptance of p, and on the other, if someone is inquiring into whether p is the case, she must not already accept that p is the case. borrowing a conceptual framework from recent literature on inquiry, i propose a solution to this dilemma by appealing to parts of the story of abraham in the quran. i suggest, specifically, that one can have faith that a partial answer to a question is the case, and at the same time, seek further inquiry into the question for a more complete answer. as such, i support the idea that inquiry-based faith is a possible and plausible option for both faithful people and inquirers.

faith and inquiry

contemporary philosophers of religion have predominantly focused on understanding the nature of faith, yet there has been a lack of attention towards a particular type of faith that we can call inquiry-based faith. this paper aims to address this gap by exploring some challenges associated with inquiry-based faith. i argue, in particular, that while this is a widespread kind of faith, we face a dilemma in showing how it is possible and plausible. on the one hand, faith that p requires acceptance of p, and on the other, if someone is inquiring into whether p is the case, she must not already accept that p is the case. borrowing a conceptual framework from recent literature on inquiry, i propose a solution to this dilemma by appealing to parts of the story of abraham in the quran. i suggest, specifically, that one can have faith that a partial answer to a question is the case, and at the same time, seek further inquiry into the question for a more complete answer. as such, i support the idea that inquiry-based faith is a possible and plausible option for both faithful people and inquirers.