Date
8-2020
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics (MA)
Chair
David Baggett
Keywords
Epistemology, Moral Argument, Personalism, Crime and Punishment (novel)
Disciplines
Christianity | Philosophy | Religion
Recommended Citation
Yates, Josiah Lee, "The Knowledge of Lazarus and Raskolnikov: Expansive Epistemology and the Moral Argument for Theism" (2020). Masters Theses. 664.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/664
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to present a moral argument for the existence of God. This thesis deals with themes from epistemology, philosophy of religion, and ethics. It is about what and how we can know about God. The main premise of this work is that there is knowledge that goes beyond propositional knowledge (or is deeper than propositional knowledge), and further that this knowledge points toward something or someone supernatural or transcendent. This task begins with illustrating some expansive epistemological concerns, particularly as displayed within the works of John Henry Newman and Eleonore Stump. Following this is an exploration of relevant facets of personalism and development of personal knowledge that will prepare us for drawing connections to the moral argument for theism. The thesis ends with a critical analysis of the novel Crime and Punishment in which I seek to illustrate my points via narrative.
