Abstract

This chapter considers the epistemology of John Henry Newman, arguing that it has merits which are quite independent of the religious purpose that was his overarching aim in developing it. For Newman, epistemology was part of ‘psychology’ which, like Frege, he separated off from logic. Dissenting from Locke’s view that there are degrees of assent, Newman’s main concern was to argue that assent on evidence short of intuition or demonstration may well be legitimate, and frequently is so. For Newman certitude is indefectible; If we are certain of a belief, we resolve to maintain it and we spontaneously reject as idle any objections to it. The chapter concludes with a consideration of Newman’s view of religious faith.