Religious Diversity and Epistemology

The existence of multiple, mutually incompatible religious traditions poses a profound epistemological challenge. If millions of intelligent, sincere, devout people hold radically different religious beliefs — Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews — how can any one tradition claim to possess the truth? Does religious diversity undermine the rationality of religious belief? This lesson examines the epistemic challenge of diversity and the major philosophical responses: Hick's pluralism, Plantinga's exclusivism, and Alston's doxastic practice approach.

---

The Epistemic Challenge of Religious Diversity

The Problem

The world's major religions make claims that are, at least on the surface, mutually incompatible: