How Do We Know? (Questions in Christian Philosophy)

Product Description

What does it mean to know something? Can we have confidence in our knowledge? Epistemology, the study of knowledge, can often seem like a daunting subject. And yet few topics are more basic to human life. We are inquisitive creatures by nature, and the unending quest for truth leads us to raise difficult questions about the quest itself. What are the conditions, sources, and limits of our knowledge? Do our beliefs need to be rationally justified? Can we have certainty? In this primer on epistemology, James Dew and Mark Foreman guide readers through this discipline in philosophy. This second edition has been expanded with new material and now serves as the first volume in IVP’s Questions in Christian Philosophy series. By asking basic questions and using clear, jargon-free language, they provide an entry into one of the most important issues in contemporary philosophy.

Review

“This second edition of How Do We Know? is an exciting, timely provision for the body of Christ. Well-suited to serve as a textbook and a tool for the thoughtful lay reader, this volume is one of the clearest, most accessible introductions to epistemology I have ever read. The selection of topics covered is excellent and highly relevant for equipping believers to engage competently with the fundamental ideas that constitute our increasingly secularized culture. A delightful feature of the book is its regular and careful interaction with key figures in the history of philosophy. I joyfully recommend it.” — J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and author of Scientism and Secularism

“Dew and Foreman’s How Do We Know? is a remarkably clear and concise discussion of central issues in epistemology. They explain difficult concepts as simply as possible without compromising accuracy, and they provide helpful illustrations throughout to ensure that readers will not get bogged down in the thicket of technical terminology. Epistemology is a field that can be as forbidding as it is important, and Dew and Foreman have done a wonderful service by giving us such an accessible treatment of the subject. Christian readers will find the book especially useful, as it includes discussions of faith, divine revelation, and other issues related to religious epistemology. Another virtue of the book is the authors’ discussion of many major figures in the history of philosophy as well as significant contemporary epistemologists. I highly recommend this text to anyone interested in epistemology as well as students of theology and philosophy of religion.” — James S. Spiegel, Taylor University

“How Do We Know?, now in its second edition, will appeal to students and laypeople looking for an introduction to epistemology that includes the standard topics, theories, and arguments but avoids the complexity, technicality, and abstraction of other texts. In addition, Dew and Foreman provide their Christian readers with welcome resources for integrating the theory of knowledge with Christian theology. As a result, their survey of the field is more comprehensive than most. Among other attractive features of the volume are its frequent discussion of many classical and contemporary epistemologists, its helpful illustrations drawn from ordinary life, and its balanced treatment of controversial issues. This primer would serve well as a textbook for courses at Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries or as a guidebook for the general Christian reader interested in what philosophers have to say about knowledge as well as in the importance of epistemology for life, faith, and theology.” — James E. Taylor, professor of philosophy at Westmont College, author of Introducing Apologetics and Learning for Wisdom

“Dew and Foreman provide a clear and intuitive introduction to the field of epistemology. This book will empower your mind. The authors skillfully help readers work through a well-organized se