# Reformed Epistemology



## Reformed Fox (Feb 17, 2016)

What does "Reformed Epistemology" mean to you?

For the longest time, I associated the term almost exclusively with Van Til. Whenever he would engage in epistemological pursuits this would be “Reformed Epistemology”. His dissertation was even given that exact title and the work dovetailed nicely with presuppositional apologetics (or at least that was my impression).

Recently I discovered that outside reformed circles, the term “Reformed Epistemology” is applied rather regularly to the work of Alvin Plantinga. He seems to be regarded as the more-or-less standard reformed theologian in broader Protestant circles.

Both these uses seem to be widespread, so I was curious, how have you heard the term used? Should we make any effort to pin it down?


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## Marrow Man (Feb 17, 2016)

I wrote a paper on Reformed Epistemology for a M.Th. program I was taking a few years ago. You can view it here: https://gairneybridge.wordpress.com/2008/12/12/proofreaders-please/


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## Bill The Baptist (Feb 17, 2016)

Plantinga refers to his theory of warrant as reformed epistemology because he loosely follows Calvin's concept of the sensus divinitatis to argues that Christian belief can enjoy warrant, even in the absence of evidence or arguments.


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## Philip (Feb 17, 2016)

Reformed Fox said:


> Recently I discovered that outside reformed circles, the term “Reformed Epistemology” is applied rather regularly to the work of Alvin Plantinga.



As well as the work of Nicholas Wolterstorf and the late William Alston (who was ambivalent about the term).

It's something of a misnomer insofar as the project is more or less a reconstruction of classic Christian epistemology.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Feb 17, 2016)

See attached:

Review Essay
Epistemology And Christian Belief
K. Scott Oliphint

View attachment Epistemology and Christian Belief - Oliphint.pdf


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## MW (Feb 17, 2016)

Reformed Fox said:


> Both these uses seem to be widespread, so I was curious, how have you heard the term used? Should we make any effort to pin it down?



The two views come into contact and interact in the Five Views on Apologetics book. John Frame presents Van Til's presuppositional approach and Kelly James Clark presents what has come to be known as Reformed Epistemology. The differences are made apparent in their responses to each other.


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## Reformed Fox (Feb 18, 2016)

My question was, how have you heard the term "Reformed Epistemology" used.


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## Philip (Feb 18, 2016)

Reformed Fox said:


> My question was, how have you heard the term "Reformed Epistemology" used.



Mostly in the philosophical context. I haven't heard Van Til's thought labelled as reformed epistemology as such largely because even its most ardent defenders recognize that the Scottish common sense tradition at least has an equally respectable pedigree within the reformed tradition.


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## Toasty (Feb 18, 2016)

Reformed Fox said:


> What does "Reformed Epistemology" mean to you?
> 
> For the longest time, I associated the term almost exclusively with Van Til. Whenever he would engage in epistemological pursuits this would be “Reformed Epistemology”. His dissertation was even given that exact title and the work dovetailed nicely with presuppositional apologetics (or at least that was my impression).
> 
> ...



Reformed Epistemology teaches that it is rational to believe in God without evidence. This viewpoint was developed by certain philosophers such Alvin Plantinga and William Alston. They are opposed to evidentialism, which is the idea that one must always have evidence of X in order to believe in X.


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## MW (Feb 18, 2016)

Reformed Fox said:


> My question was, how have you heard the term "Reformed Epistemology" used.



In the literature I have only seen it used in terms of Plantinga's modification of Reid's doctrine of basic beliefs, whereas Van Til's method is usually called presuppositional. Van Til was consciously standing in the reformed tradition of Princeton and Amsterdam, and could have laid claim to the term much earlier. I note, though, that he did use the term in a generic theological sense when analysing different approaches.

Technically, to be "reformed" is to maintain the doctrine of special revelation as self-authenticating.


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## Reformed Fox (Mar 11, 2016)

I have never heard of Van Til's philosophy itself called presuppositional, but I could be missing something. "Presuppositional apologetics" was of course his main project and expanded beyond apologetics proper into epistemology and metaphysics. 

So, is "reformed epistemology" really and exclusively Plantinga term?


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Mar 11, 2016)

I do not know why it would be exclusive to Plantinga, who started using the term only in the eighties. When speaking of epistemological matters and in the Reformed context, it seems natural to combine the two words. For that matter back in 1917, Coffey was speaking of presuppositions in this.


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