Essays in Philosophy

Volume 23, Issue 1/2, January/July 2022

Analytic Philosophy and the Islamic Tradition

Loose Canons: The Epistemic Problems of Scriptural Testimony

In Abrahamic theism scripture is essential to belief-forming, yet scripture as an epistemic evidence source is plagued with difficulties. In the following article, I argue for a specific reductionist model of scriptural proposition justification utilising an account of scripture as testimony. I contend that for an individual to be justified in a belief sourced from a scriptural proposition, she must appeal to external evidence to “prop up her epistemic bar.” Accordingly, I consider some potential “epistemic bar-proppers.”