Christian Emrich
Visit: September 20 - November 20, 2024
Discipline: Philosophy
Project Title: The Virtue of Religion: John Henry Newman's Theory of Epistemic Normativity and Its Application to Our Faith Commitments
Affiliation: Fordham University
Host: Sean Kelsey
I work mainly in religious and virtue epistemology, with a special focus on the philosophical thought of John Henry Newman. My research can be divided into four main areas: 1) Situating epistemological accounts within an account of human nature. 2) Examining the role of epistemic virtues in science and scientific practice. 3) Answering the question “what makes a good epistemic agent.?” 4) And answering the question “what role (if any) does faith play in being a good epistemic agent.?” In addition to this main focus, I also work in examining these issues from the historical perspectives of the Medieval and Modern periods.
Abstract: This project is a reconstruction of the theory of the relationship between faith and reason in Newman's mature thought, focussing especially on his An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent. I aim to show that Newman's religious epistemology begins with an acceptance of the supernatural. This move distinguishes Newman from the main tradition of analyzing the rationality of religious belief which excludes the supernatural from the outset. Towards this conclusion I argue that Newman should be understood as a kind of virtue epistemologist and that his virtue epistemology offers a holistic account of faith.
Email: cemrich@fordham.edu