Lesson 12 –
What is Faith? Does Science Need It?

Many people think that faith means believing something without any evidence or verification. Or worse, they think that faith is just a subjective feeling about something such as God or the meaning of life. Both of these views make faith out to be something unreasonable or irrational. But both of these views are serious mistakes about what faith is. So, what is faith? And is it possible for anyone to live without it?

Course Reading

The Modeling of Nature: Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Nature in Synthesis, 263-264 | Fr. William A. Wallace, O.P.

Commentary on Boethius’ De Trinitate, ch. 1, q. 3, a. 1, reply | St. Thomas Aquinas

Excerpt from St. Thomas Aquinas’ commentary on Boethius’ De Trinitate:

...faith has something in common with opinion, and something in common with knowledge and understanding, by reason of which it holds a position midway between opinion and understanding or science, according to Hugh of St. Victor. In common with understanding and knowledge, it possesses certain and fixed assent; and in this it differs from opinion, which accepts one of two opposites, though with fear that the other may be true, and on account of this doubt it fluctuates between two contraries. But, in common with opinion, faith is concerned with things that are not naturally possible to our understanding, and in this respect it differs from science and intellection.

Course Listening

All Truth, Whoever Says It, Comes From The Holy Spirit | Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P.

Related videos from earlier in the series

This episode was made possible through the support of a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this project are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.