How Do We Know? An Introduction to Epistemology

This introductory monograph explores foundational questions in epistemology, examining how humans acquire knowledge and justify beliefs, with particular attention to religious epistemology and its implications for theistic belief. Dew structures his analysis around classical epistemological problems while consistently drawing connections to theological knowledge claims and the rationality of religious belief.

The work begins by establishing the central questions of epistemology: what constitutes knowledge, how beliefs are justified, and what counts as reliable sources of knowledge. Dew examines the traditional tripartite definition of knowledge as justified true belief, presenting standard challenges including Gettier problems, before exploring various theories of justification. His treatment encompasses foundationalism, coherentism, and reliabilism, evaluating each approach's strengths and limitations for both general and religious knowledge claims.

A significant portion of the text addresses the relationship between faith and reason, examining whether religious beliefs require evidential support or can be properly basic. Dew engages with Reformed epistemology, particularly Alvin Plantinga's warrant-based approach, which argues that belief in God can be rational without propositional evidence. The author presents this position sympathetically while acknowledging objections from evidentialist critics who maintain that religious beliefs require the same empirical support as other knowledge claims.

The monograph examines specific challenges to religious knowledge, including the problem of religious diversity, the hiddenness of God, and skeptical arguments against supernatural beliefs. Dew analyzes how different epistemological frameworks handle testimony, religious experience, and revelation as potential sources of knowledge. He considers naturalistic challenges to religious belief while exploring responses from theistic philosophers who argue for the epistemic legitimacy of supernatural knowledge claims.

Throughout, Dew maintains an instructional tone appropriate for undergraduate students while engaging substantive philosophical debates. His approach favors showing how epistemological theories bear on religious questions rather than defending a particular theological position explicitly. The work serves as both a general introduction to epistemology and a focused exploration of religious epistemology, demonstrating how broader epistemological principles apply to questions about God's existence and nature. By connecting classical epistemological problems to contemporary debates about religious rationality, Dew provides students with tools for evaluating knowledge claims in both philosophical and theological contexts.