Forms of belief-less religion: why non-doxasticism makes fictionalism redundant for the pro-religious agnostic

Abstract

Which form of belief-less religion should the agnostic prefer: non-doxasticism which substitutes belief with some weaker cognitive attitude, or fictionalism which standardly treats religious life as a game of make-believe? I argue for non-doxasticism due to its ability to handle the problems associated with fictionalism. However, in an argument for exclusive availability I go further, denying even that the agnostic has a choice: if she has a religious pro-attitude only non-doxasticism is rationally available to her. I also address and reject a recent argument by Finlay Malcolm to the effect that non-doxasticism cannot be properly distinguished from fictionalism.

The old gods as a live possibility: on the rational feasibility of non-doxastic paganism

“…This is a modification of the conditions presented in Palmqvist (2021), 52. Since we are only interested in epistemic rationality, the belief about epistemic possibility in ND2 needs to be rational, but not the desire/judgement in ND1.…”

“…According to non-doxasticism, a realist religious stance need not be based upon belief, but only on some epistemically weaker attitude like hope or acceptance 2 . To be rational, a non-doxastic commitment requires that the subject regards the religious worldview as a desirable epistemic possibility in the relevant sense (Palmqvist (2021)). In what follows, I assess whether a non-doxastic commitment to paganism can be epistemically rational by considering whether the central idea of pagan polytheism could represent an epistemic possibility for a philosophically and scientifically informed contemporary subject.…”

Pretending to be a believer: on understanding religious fictionalism as a role-playing game

“…As previously mentioned, proponents of fictionalism often think of these benefits in terms of moral awareness and spiritual growth. But what reasons do we have to assume that religion's potential as a means for personal development remains intact on fictionalism (Palmqvist (2021), 57–58)?…”

“…1.Fictionalism must not be conflated with non-doxasticism, a contrasting belief-less approach to religion which requires its subject to regard the religious view in question as an epistemic possibility. For the differences between non-doxasticism and fictionalism, see Palmqvist (2021). …”