Peter Boghossian

Peter Boghossian (b. 1966) is an American philosopher and educator known for advocating the use of Socratic dialogue, dubbed 'street epistemology,' to engage believers and challenge faith-based reasoning. He held a long-term position teaching philosophy at Portland State University before resigning in 2021, citing concerns about academic freedom. His best-known book, A Manual for Creating Atheists (2013), argues that faith is an unreliable epistemology and proposes conversational techniques to encourage doxastic revision. Boghossian defines faith pejoratively as 'pretending to know things you don't know,' a definition that has drawn sharp criticism from philosophers of religion such as Tim McGrew and others who argue it caricatures sophisticated theological usage. He gained additional public attention as co-author, with James Lindsay and Helen Pluckrose, of the 'Grievance Studies affair' (2017–2018), a series of hoax papers submitted to journals in cultural studies, which generated both support and disciplinary censure. His work sits within the broader New Atheist current, though he distinguishes his project by emphasizing pedagogical practice over polemic. Critics argue he conflates epistemological critique with rhetorical strategy and underestimates the philosophical literature on religious epistemology, including reformed epistemology and proper functionalism. Supporters value his applied focus on dialogue and critical thinking pedagogy.