SELLARS’ LOGICAL SPACE OF REASONS AND THE RATIONALITY OF THE RELIGIOUS DISCOURSE: A VINDICATION

Abstract

Abstract: The basic problem to which this article seeks to answer is the general problem of the epistemology of the philosophy of religion: is it possible to speak of a rationality, in general, of and in religious discourse? Is it rational, for example, to speak of – and, more importantly, to defend – propositions such as “there is life after death”, “God exists”, “the soul is reincarnated and eternal”, “Jesus rose from the dead on the third day” etc.? For a group of authors the answer is negative; for another group, on the other hand, the answer is precisely the opposite. In both cases, we will not discuss the content of the defense of those who deny or defend the rationality of a proposition such as those mentioned, but we will focus on the conception of subjectivity underlying the negative theses. This work, therefore, intends to present an alternative proposal for the defense of religious discourse. In a first moment, it seeks to show that the disregard for the rational character of religious discourse (or propositions) presupposes a deflationary conception of rationality. It will be attempted to show that this “deflationary” conception of rationality is dependent on a cer¬tain empiricist tradition. The second segment begins with an indication of the weaknesses of such a conception of rationality, therefore opening up space for the presentation of an inferentialist position from Wilfrid Sellars (1912-1989). It is therefore concluded that the rationality of religious discourse, insofar as the false presupposition, a reductive conception of subjectivity, of the theses that deny such a possibility is made explicit.

Keywords: Wilfrid Sellars. Rationality. Empiricism. Religion.