Homework on William Alston, Perceiving God


All answers must be in your own words. No handwritten homework will be accepted.


1. a. According to Alston, when you see a dog wagging their tail, what makes you justified in believing that there is a dog wagging their tail? (Answer in 1-2 sentences) (2pts)
b. Alston thinks that certain sorts of religious beliefs can be justified in the same way as the belief about the dog wagging its tail. Give your own example (not discussed in the reading) of one such religious belief, and say what (according to Alston) would justify it. (Answer in 2-4 sentences) (2pts)

2. According to Alston, if you see x, does that always mean you are justified in believing x (yes or no)? If yes, why? If not, give an example (not from the reading) in which someone sees something but is not justified in believing that it is there. (Hint: note that I don't say "prima facie justified" in this question) (Answer in 1-2 sentences) (2pts)

3. a. According to Alston, why are we justified in thinking that "normal" sense experience (e.g. our vision) is reliable? (Answer in 1-2 sentences) (1pt)
b. According to Alston, can we potentially be justified in thinking that religious experience is reliable for similar reasons? (Answer in 1-2 sentences) (1pt)

4. To check if someone's sense experience is accurate, we have to rely on other people's sense experiences. Why does Alston think this fact is relevant to the justification of religious experiences? (Answer in 2-4 sentence) (2pts)