Can We Trust Human Reason If God Doesn’t Exist?
Can matter alone produce reliable abstract thought and rational judgment?
Some Christians argue that without God, human beings cannot trust their reasoning ability. They believe that anyone who relies on rational judgment implicitly presupposes the existence of God. Without belief in God, they contend, there is no foundation for reason.
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Under a materialistic view of the world, we cannot rely on our own minds to interpret reality.
Why?
Because thoughts are nothing but a chemical state giving way to another chemical state. How can you trust that a chemical reaction produces rational truth? — Arnau Perez Ninot, Is It Possible to Justify Reason on An Atheistic Worldview?
Why can’t we trust our brains?
In response to this view, I ask: How do you know that we can’t trust the chemical reactions and neuron firings in our brains to produce thoughts that grasp reality?
I’ve never heard a coherent answer to this question. Most Christians respond with statements like “I cannot imagine how a random naturalistic process can do that” or “I have no idea how a bunch of chemicals can have…
