George
Karuvelil
Jnana-Deep
Vidyapith, Pune
Paper Title: “Philosophy and Religious Diversity: Epistemological Explorations”
Abstract
Reflection on religious diversity burst on to
the scene in a big way in the second half of the twentieth century and has
remained in the circuit till today. But the focus of the discussions have
shifted from the theological question about the availability, or otherwise, of
salvation for all to the more epistemological question of religious truth. While
this is a welcome change, the ensuing philosophical discussions are yet to make
a breakthrough. The responsibility for this state of affairs rests more with
the epistemological disarray of the contemporary world than any specific
problems with the epistemology of religion. The present paper examines two
contemporary approaches: Linda Zagzebski’s virtue epistemology and William
Alston’s reliabilism and explores how the discussion might be advanced further.
Its implications for religion will be pointed out.
George Karuvelil is a Jesuit
priest; Ordinary Professor of Philosophy and Religion and former Dean of the
Faculty of Philosophy at Jnana-Deepa Vidyapeeth (JDV), Pune. He has published
widely in national and international journals of philosophy and theology. Presently
he is also the chief editor of Jnanadeepa: Pune Journal of Religious Studies.