And yet, Masterton insists, we want to believe that morality is stable, which would suggest that morality has an objective source. A humanist system of ethics grounds morals in unstable вЂњhuman wants, desires, or motivations,вЂќ which could theoretically change.

MastertonвЂ™s main objection to correlationism relies on faith: Correlationism, he argues, does not explain our commitment to believing in good and evil. Masterton believes that a union of reason and faith will best address his central question: вЂњWhat, in the final analysis, is the ultimate meaning and value of being in general and of human existence in particular?вЂќ He discusses three potential answers to this question, arguing that humanism and scientism satisfy neither our reason nor the beliefs underlying our use of reason, but that theism aligns with both.ДЄccording to what Masterton calls the correlationist humanist perspective, everything real exists вЂњrelative to human consciousness.вЂќ We do not know things as they actually exist rather, we know the relationship or вЂњcorrelationвЂќ between our minds and the outside world. Masterton asserts that faith and rationality are closely linked: If we trust reason, we necessarily believe that the world has value conversely, if we believe that life has meaning, then we ought to believe in God, too. Patrick MastertonвЂ™s In Reasonable Hope: Philosophical Reflections on Ultimate Meaning answers this last question with an exuberant yes. Can we rightly speak of a rational faith or a faithful reason? ItвЂ™s worth asking whether we must inevitably separate reason and faith. Metaphysical proofs reveal little about faith itself they explain why belief is philosophically viable but not why people actually believe. On the other hand, rational arguments for faith feel out of place, like mathematical formulas meant to explain why people love music. Christians have historically argued that it is reasonable to believe in God, or at least that we can justify faith retroactively on reasoned grounds. On the one hand, no adherent of religion wants to call faith irrational. This tension between faith and reason puts many believers in a bind.

Surely any faith that could rationally explain its own existence would cease to be faith. Thus, to insist on the why behind religious belief sounds wrong-headed.

Faith means deciding that something is true despite inconclusive evidence reason relies solely on evidence, deriving its conclusions from true propositions arranged in valid ways. But it is simultaneously a tricky question: It assumes that belief is rationally motivated and rationally intelligible. It reduces human experience to its two most basic variables-the self and whatever reality exists beyond that self. Why to believe in God is, in one sense, a simple question. Send us feedback.In Reasonable Hope: Philosophical Reflections on Ultimate MeaningД«y Patrick Masterson (The Catholic University of America Press, 224 pp., $35)

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'feeling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. The Arizona Republic, 9 June 2022 See More from Phoenix feeling as if he had been called by Trump. New York Times, 9 June 2022 Angeli, according to his defense attorney, came to D.C. Jeannette Lindholm knows the feeling.ДЄj Willingham, CNN, 9 June 2022 Out of these social relations and communal feeling, Ruangrupa coaxes an aesthetic. Lela London, Forbes, 10 June 2022 That special feeling was reignited as the group reunited on Hollywood Boulevard for the premiere event.ДЄngelique Jackson, Variety, 10 June 2022 The memories of voices swelling with song or a grandmother softly humming a favorite tune can hold a sacred place in one's heart, deeper than even speech or scripture can reach. Maggie O'neill, SELF, 10 June 2022 Aged just 14, the financial crisis had left the Londoner feeling like job security wasnвЂ™t guaranteed and the best way to make a living-and create a successful legacy-would be to start her own business. Rachel Lerman, Washington Post, 11 June 2022 Loss of motivation, frequent headaches, or feeling overwhelmed by an easy task are also potential signs of parental burnout, Dr. Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 11 June 2022 Year after year of rising valuations has created a pervasive feeling that there is nowhere to go but up. Recent Examples on the Web: Noun And those can't be attempted in earnest until Woodruff regains the feeling in his index, middle and ring fingers on his right hand.

Once more with feeling origin