The Moral Hope Argument
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3549580 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Eric Reitan (0000-0002-6403-4854, Oklahoma State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1060 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-16 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel16081060 |
| OpenAlex | W4413292369 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
This essay develops a distinct moral argument for the reasonableness of believing in God (conceived as a perfectly good creator) inspired by the pragmatic argument for "the religious hypothesis" advanced by William James in "The Will to Believe." It also contextualizes the argument relative to familiar moral arguments, notably those of C.S. Lewis and Kant. Briefly, the argument developed here holds that when facing more than one coherent picture of reality, each of which could be true based on the arguments and evidence but only one of which fulfills the hope that in a fundamental way reality is on the side of moral goodness (what I call "the ethico-religious hope"), a reasonable person could opt to believe in the hope's fulfillment and live accordingly. Following James' approach, however, this argument does not imply that others who do not adopt such a picture are necessarily irrational or less rational
Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Sociology · Ethics in medical practice · Free Will and Agency · Medicine · Philosophical Ethics and Theory · Philosophy · Psychology
| Highly cited | No |
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