Religious Conversion and Paradigm Shift
Marek LECHNIAK
Department of Logic, Institute of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0768-7963
Abstract
This paper examines the problem of the applicability of Thomas Kuhn’s notion of paradigm and its revolutionary shift to the explication of the concept of religious conversion. The inquiry first addresses the epistemological view of religious faith in terms of its justification. It is pointed out that both faith and scientific theory do not meet the requirements of the so-called classical definition of knowledge. The second part includes a characterization of the essential components of religious faith distinguished by Stanisław Judycki (the belief in the existence of God having certain characteristics, the moral attitude of desire for goodness and striving for goodness, trust in God, and the awareness of the presence of God). Finally, the third part of the paper recalls the notions of scientific paradigm and scientific (conceptual) revolution in order to analyze, against this background, papers attempting to apply these concepts of the philosophy of science to the analysis of religious conversion. It was pointed out that the proposals presented capture the specificity of religious conversion to a limited extent, although the notion of paradigm sheds some light on the complexity and centrality of conversion in human life.
Keywords:
religious conversion, conceptual revolution, paradigm, faith, Stanisław Judycki, Thomas KuhnReferences
Audi, Robert. “Belief, Faith, and Acceptance.” International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 63, no. 1 (2008): 87–102.
Cooper, David E. “Mystery, World and Religion.” In Philosophers and God: At the Frontiers of Faith and Reason. Edited by John Cornwell and Michael McGhee. London and New York: Continuum, 2009.
Cornwell, John, and Michael McGhee, eds. Philosophers and God: At the Frontiers of Faith and Reason. London and New York: Continuum, 2009.
Craig, Edward, ed. The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Vol. 3, s.v. “Faith” (by Nicholas Wolterstorff). London: Routledge, 1998.
Drønen, Tomas Sundnes. “Scientific Revolution and Religious Conversion: A Closer Look at Kuhn’s Theory of Paradigm-shift.” Method & Theory in the Study of Religion 18, no. 3 (2006): 232–53.
Edwards, Jonathan. Istotne doznania i inne kazania. Translated by Joanna Sosulska. Toruń: Fundacja Świadome Chrześcijaństwo, 2022.
Gettier, Edmund L. “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?” Analysis 23, no. 6 (1963): 121–23.
Godfrey-Smith, Peter. Theory and Reality: Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Ingarden, Roman. “Zagadnienia obiektywności spostrzeżenia zewnętrznego (wykłady lwowskie): Wykład XXXII.” In Ingarden, Studia z teorii poznania. Warszawa: PWN, 1995.
Jan Paweł II. Encyklika Fides et ratio. The Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/pl/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_14091998_fides-et-ratio.html.
Judycki, Stanisław. Epistemologia. Vol. 2. Poznań: Wydawnictwo W drodze, 2020.
Kenny, Anthony. Bóg filozofów. Translated by Ryszard Mordarski. Bydgoszcz: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Kazimierza Wielkiego, 2023.
Kuhn, Thomas S. Struktura rewolucji naukowych. Translated by Helena Ostromęcka et al. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Aletheia, 2001.
Le Poidevin, Robin. “Religious Conversion and Loss of Faith: Cases of Personal Paradigm Shift?” Sophia 60 (2021): 551–66.
Lechniak Marek. “Kilka uwag w sprawie pojęcia niewiary religijnej.” Roczniki Filozoficzne 72, no. 2 (2024): 307–28.
Lechniak Marek. Przekonania i zmiana przekonań. Lublin: Wydawnictwo KUL, 2011.
Lechniak, Marek. “The Concept of Conversion in the Light of Some Concepts of Faith.” Roczniki Filozoficzne 71, no. 2 (2023): 209–38.
Lofland, John, and Norman Skonovd. “Conversion Motifs.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 20, no. 4 (1981): 373–85.
Rambo, Lewis. Understanding Religious Conversion, Yale University Press, New Haven 1993.
Ratzinger, Joseph. “Siła wiary a wątpliwość wiary.” In Ratzinger, Opera omnia. Vol. 9, part 1. Wiara w Piśmie i Tradycji: Teologiczna Nauka o Zasadach. Translated by Jarosław Merecki. Lublin: Wydawnictwo KUL, 2018.
Ratzinger, Joseph. “Wiara jako nawrócenie – metanoia.” In Ratzinger, Opera omnia. Vol. 9, part 1. Wiara w Piśmie i Tradycji: Teologiczna Nauka o Zasadach. Translated by Jarosław Merecki. Lublin: Wydawnictwo KUL, 2018.
Soskice, Janet, M. “Love and Reason.” In Philosophers and God: At the Frontiers of Faith and Reason. Edited by John Cornwell and Michael McGhee. London and New York: 2009.
Stump, Eleonore. The God of the Bible and the God of the Philosophers. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 2016.
Thagard, Paul. Conceptual Revolutions. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992.
Tomasz z Akwinu. Suma teologiczna. Vol. 15. Wiara, nadzieja. Londyn: Veritas, 1966.
Van der Leeuw, Gerardus. Fenomenologia religii. Translated by Jerzy Prokopiuk. Warszawa: Książka i Wiedza, 1997.
Woleński, Jan. Epistemologia. Warszawa: PWN, 2005.
Wolterstorff, Nicholas. “The Assurance of Faith.” Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers 7, no. 4 (1990): 396–417.
Department of Logic, Institute of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Al Racławickie 14, 20-950 Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0768-7963
