Why Faith Is a Virtue
- Philosophy
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2014
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Publisher's Description
What is faith? In what ways might faith be a virtue, a component of a life well lived? How might faith be corrupted and become a vice? In Why Faith Is a Virtue, Philip D. Smith builds on the work of Alasdair MacIntyre and Robert Adams to argue that faith contributes to human excellence. To make the argument, Smith sorts through conflicting possible "faiths" and shows how some of them are not virtues at all. Nevertheless, he argues that faith, properly understood, contributes to crucial human practices: scientific research, social reform, and parenting. He explains how and why faith is a virtue.
Endorsements (1)
“Smith has skillfully advanced an audacious claim, namely, that religious faith is a virtue. Not only does he distinguish eight varieties of faith, he also has a whole chapter contrasting faith with credulity, which he quite naturally recognizes as a vice. His discussion of virtues shows his mastery of recent moral philosophy. Even those not entirely convinced by his argument are bound to learn a good deal along the way.”
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