The Meaning of Faith

Abstract

THE MEANING OF FAITH AITH IS a concept employed by all philosophers, yet an analysis of what faith really is, is far to seek In fact, modern philosophers with the exception of the NeoScholast :ics for the most part do not even attempt to define "faith" with any clarity. It is the thesis of the present article that for an analysis of the concept '" faith " one must turn to Scholasticism, where the treatment will be shown to be comprehensive and minute as to both faith's practical and its them ·etical aspects. Faith is always a venture: to this Scholastics and non-Scholastics alike agree. Quoting William James, "Faith means belief in something concerning which doubt is still theoretically possible"; we shall however see that the character of the venture differs widely as between the Scholastic and the non-Scholastic philosopher, and that the practical aspect of faith to a greater or less degree overshadows the theoretical in modern treatments of the subject. To cover all or even nearly all important modern usages of the term " faith " is manifestly impossible within the limits of a comparatively brief article; and the selection of philosophers here to be presented must be justified solely on the ground that their discussions seem to this writer to be both interesting and representative-if not completely so-of modem non-Scholastic viewpoints. The first section of the discussion will deal with the use of the concept "faith" by Santayana, Dewey, James, and Brightman, no one of whom accords the term careful analysis from its objective aspect. The four immediately fall into two groups with respect to what they hold to be the object of faith; Santayana and Dewey take certain natural occurrences to be this object; James and Brightman, on the other hand, would extend " faith " to include a transcendent Value, a Highest Good, which they in various terms describe as God. The second part of the discussion will deal with some aspects of the 230 THE MEANING OF FAITH 281 treatment of "faith" by A. E. Taylor and H. B. Alexander, both of whom treat the concept from an objective as well as a subjective standpoint, and both of whom approach rather closely the Scholastic position. Finally, the Scholastic account of "faith" will be given, as being by far the fullest and most comprehensive . A. MoDERN NoN-ScHOLASTIC TREATMENTS oF FAITH: SANTAYANA, DEWEY, JAMES, AND BRIGHTMAN The following accounts will of necessity be brief and rather meager, since these four philosophers simply do not give us any detailed analysis of the concept under discussion; they tend to describe " faith " in purely psychological terms, dealing with the state of the believing subject rather than with the metaphysical status of " faith " itself, and emphasizing practical rather than theoretical considerations. Santayana, in whose treatment of faith from the sceptic's point of view the element of venture is severely restricted, nevertheless affirms that faith of a sort is absolutely essential. " There is no avenue to the past or future, there is no room for breath or for progressive life, except through faith in the intellect and the reality of things unseen." 1 Even the sceptic cannot escape believing. " Scepticism is a suspicion of error about facts, and to suspect error about facts is to share the enterprise of knowledge in which facts are presupposed and error is possible .... Scepticism is accordingly a form of belief. Dogma cannot be abandoned; it can only be revised in view of some more elementary dogma." 2 Santayana describes this indispensable , rudimentary belief which he calls "animal faith" as " a sort of expectation and open-mouthedness " which is earlier than intuition, intuition arriving subsequently " to help it out and lend it something to posit." 3 The unsophisticated man in the street needs not to consider this faith, he simply experiences it as a matter of course. In this unsophisticated state " faith hangs like a pendulum at rest." But when sophistication, 1 Scepticism and Animal Faith, p. 29. • Ibid., p. 8. • Ibid., p. 107. 7 ILSE FOREST achieved through rigorous intellectual discipline, enters in, perplexity arises and causes the pendulum to " swing more and more madly." Eventually the pendulum "may for a moment stop...