John Henry Newman and the Prospects for a Dialogue among Faith, Reason, and Culture

Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of how one might engage in a dialogue between faith and reason, particularly when such a dialogue seeks to take place across cultures. To do this, I present and follow the approach of the English philosopher, the recently beatified John Henry Newman (1801-90), who sought to identify and ensure a role for reason and argument within religious faith. I show that Newman provides an anti-foundationalist and contextualist account of reason and its relation to belief – an account similar to what we find in contemporary epistemology. I then argue that this approach to faith and reason is of value, not only to the history of the debate between faith and reason, but also to discussions with those who do not believe, including those of different religions, traditions, and cultures.