Richard Feldman

Richard Feldman (1948-2019) was an American epistemologist at the University of Rochester whose work significantly influenced debates about religious disagreement and rational belief in God. While primarily known for his contributions to epistemology, Feldman's work on peer disagreement had profound implications for philosophy of religion. His influential papers, including "Reasonable Religious Disagreements" (2007), argued that when epistemic peers disagree about religious matters, the epistemically responsible position is often suspension of judgment. This challenged both theistic and atheistic claims to rational superiority in the face of widespread disagreement among intelligent, informed individuals. Feldman's epistemological framework suggested that the existence of persistent religious disagreement among experts undermines confident assertions about God's existence or non-existence. His rigorous analytical approach to religious epistemology influenced subsequent discussions about the rationality of religious belief, the problem of religious diversity, and the epistemic significance of disagreement in theology and philosophy of religion.