SWINBURNE PRINCIPLES OF CREDULITY AND TESTIMONY

Principle of Testimony

We should assume people are telling the truth unless we have good reason to believe otherwise

Principle of Credulity

Swinburne's principle that we should usually believe what our senses tell us we are perceiving

Counterarguments to Principle of Testimony

Liars in the past? Experiences are first person private not third person public?

Swinburne's Oppositions to Counterarguments

We can see noticeable life changes in people who have had religious experiences that show they are reliable

Counterarguments to Credulity

Difficult to prove God is in the experience? Could be caused by other things e.g. tle?

Swinburne's Oppositions to Counterarguments to Credulity

Onus is on the doubter to prove God wasn't present because God is presumably everywhere and God is responsible for all processes even ones in the brain so could be communicating through temporal lobes

Swinburne's Conclusion

Principle of Credulity means we should trust our own experiences. The testimony of others adds to the probability that our experience is accurate. Without religious experience, the prob of God's existence is 50/50 but with it is greater than 50/50