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Donovan Essay
Liz Smith
Examine the argument/interpretation in the extract (30)
The extract given comes from Peter Donavon’s article ‘Can We Know God by Experience’
which explores the idea of intuition and questions how valuable religious experience is in
claiming knowledge of God. This knowledge is referred to Donovan as an inner conviction
or intuitive certainty. Donovan’s aim in his article is to establish whether this sense of
knowing God can withstand criticism and challenges proposed by philosophers or whether
knowing God by experience simply amounts to a ‘great illusion’.
Throughout the extract, Donovan states that if you really experience God you don’t have to
argue as you know he is real ‘and that’s all there is to it’. This question suggests that people
who have had these experiences don’t need to argue to prove them and there isn’t a need to
convince other people as it is a personal encounter. The phrase ‘that’s all there is to it’ is
supported by GE Moore who stated that ‘if you ask me what is good, I say good is good
and that is the end of the matter’. This explores the way in which philosophy and
philosophers have embraced the use of intuition.
Religious Experiences are encounters with the divine. They are non-empirical occurrences
that bring with it an awareness of something beyond ourselves and so for believers, this
experience is the most convincing proof of Gods existence.
Donovan argues that there are ‘varieties of religious experience’ which include conversion
experiences, public and private experiences, visitory and auditory experiences. Donovan
describes the experience as an inner conviction which he later on identifies as faith and
intuition.
HP Owen argues that religious experience can also be a genuine source of knowledge that
comes from intuition as opposed to reason or argument. God is known to us through an
intuitive awareness by the individual. Owen said that intuition is an important aspect of
human insight which enables us to make sense of the things that surround us, out human
intuition helps us to grasp the reality of God as the divine creator far more than reason or
inference could. Owen stated that ‘…the sense of god’s reality can …be produced by
contemplation of beauty and order in nature’.
This view can be criticised as one can often feel certain without actually being right, just
because we have intuition that something is true, doesn’t always mean that it is. Being right
is not about how we feel; it is about how our belief matches the known circumstances.
Intuition is simply unreliable and is certainly not a guide to genuine truth and knowledge.
Bertrand Russell supported this idea and put forward the example of being in love with
someone. We often feel that out intuition tells us about the other person and their love for
us but often, we can be sadly misled by our intuition.
Donovan’s article is based on the premise that the sense of knowledge of God is sufficient
enough to render the argument unnecessary. Nonetheless he observes that there is a ‘risky
business’ as it involves the experient claiming they know something for which they cannot
give good reasons. The experient is likely to be faced with challenges from others who
haven’t had a similar experience and who may incline this experience to be little more than
a blik, which was proposed by RM Hare
The claim to know God by religious experience is ‘a risky business’ e.g. Nicky Cruz’s
conversion from the gang lord of one of the most violent gangs in New York to s world
renowned evangelist could not have come without it risks, as he faced his old gang
members.
These risks may be exposed by the principles of testimony and credulity which was put
forward by Richard Swinburne. Although Swinburne is opposed to automatic scepticism
because people are inclined to tell the truth except for the cases where mental health issues,
alcohol and drugs may be present , therefore we shouldn’t question peoples accounts of an
event or experience without good reason to do so. Later on in the passage Donovan states
that we should be prepared to be critical about our intuition on the basis that experience
reveals that it is not always reliable and we do sometimes have to be critical and cautious
about using it alone, although it may contribute to knowledge that we already have.
Furthermore Ayer suggested that we may be intuitively certain to one person may be
doubtful or even false to another, leading them to reject intuition altogether. In the case of
religious experience there can be no decisive proof to support and individuals claim and so
the experient takes a risk when they base their life I such an unsupported claim.
Donovan refers to how both ‘tyrants and dictators’ and ‘ordinary people’ have often
claimed they know ‘the most irrational and misguided things…with apparent certainty’ and
can see through historical events how this can be the case e.g. in modern times the former
president of the USA George Bush claimed that God told him to go to war against the
Taliban. Paul Hill, the martyr of the Army of God, was operating on an insane blik and was
‘confused by ignorance and prejudice’ and so thought that God called on him to murder
and abortion doctor and maintained until his death that he was fulfilling the word of God
that he had received through and religious experience.
It has been noted that even spiritual leaders such as the Pope have cited direct experience
and knowledge of God in order to address contemporary issues such as abortion. These
apparent revelations of Gods will has a real impact in our world , are we content to accept
that whatever intuitions lead the Pope to make these judgements are sound? Donovan
seems to assume that we are able to recognise when people act in such ways out of
‘insanity or arrogant irresponsibility’ and if this is the case, we should be able to make
genuinely evaluative judgements about peoples claim to know God by religious experience.
Donovan observes that despite the risks that are associated with the claim of having a
religious experience, religious believers feel they have the right to say they have this
certain intuitive knowledge of God. It could be asked by some, why do believers feel that
they have this right? Donovan proposes that they obtain this right because it is ‘consistent
with the teachings in the bible’ which is ‘particularly attractive to Christians’.
Donovan establishes strong grounds for intuition as valuable tool for acquiring knowledge,
including the means by which we make moral judgements. The examples that he puts
forward throughout the article of everyday intuition show us that we do know what
intuition is, we should take seriously the possibility of intuitive knowledge because we
have intuitive knowledge of other things, such as that we have two hands and we know that
2+2=4. he uses further examples in his article that reinforce our conviction that we do, at
least, recognise the feeling of intuition and cities Russell’s example of intuitive knowledge
of other people as the closest analogy we have of intuitive knowledge of God.
In conclusion, Donovan asks can we really have intuitive knowledge of God in the same
way as we have everyday intuitions. If intuitive knowledge of God is foundational then
sense of knowing God will need no further argument and if not then it will need to be
justified by other evidence or arguments.
B) Do you agree? Justify your view and discuss the implications for religion
and human experience (20)
The key question which Donovan explores is how far claims to know God by intuition
through religious experience can be said to offer knowledge of God which requires no
further evidence or additional arguments. Donovan explores how reliable in itself intuition
can be as acting a form of knowledge and whether the feeling of certainty is valid for
claiming that we actually do know what we intuit.
I believe that religious experiences are a strong, convincing proof of Gods existence. it is
logical that a personal, omni-benevolent God would want to interact with His children and
make Himself known to those who seek him . Richard Swinburnes argument is that God
reveals himself in order to intervene personally in the lives of individuals out of his love
towards them. He said that ‘An omnipotent and perfectly good creator will seek to interact
with his creatures’. I completely agree with Swinburne’ s response to religious experience
and think that he is right to suggest, through his principles of credulity and testimony, that
we should, unless we have a strong reason too, believe what people say to us as we are
naturally inclined to tell the truth and often have little reason to lie. Swinburne claims that
the sheer weight of testimony should be enough proof of the experience validity: ‘I suggest
that the overwhelming testimony of so many millions if people to occasional experience of
God… be taken as tipping the balance of evidence decisively in favour of the existence of
God’
It is obvious that not every testimony of a religious experience is true and there are some
implications associated with this article and the views expressed. The implications of
Donavon’s argument depends on how prepared and open mined we are towards religious
experience which leads to intuitive knowledge of God. Richard Dawkins would claim that
testimonies of religious experience are the manifestation of mental or psychological needs
and that religion is just merely an illusion created by the human brain which enables us to
cope with the fear of death and unknown. Dawkins expressed his views though saying that
‘if you’ve had such an experience, you may well find yourself believing firmly that it was
real. But don’t expect the rest of us to take your word for it, especially if we have the
slightest familiarity with the brain and its powerful thinking’.
Some philosopher’s take Dawkins stance even further and argue that we only take
testimonies if religious experiences seriously because of the sheer numbers of them. Sam
Harris observed: ‘we have names for people who have many beliefs for which there is no
rational justification. When their beliefs are extremely common we call them ‘religious’,
otherwise they are likely to be called ‘mad’, ‘psychotic’ or ‘delusional’’.
Donovan often refers to the role of philosophy in investigating the value of religious
experience, which has implications for the function of philosophy and its relationship with
religion and belief. Donavon recognises that philospohy raises important challenge to
religious experience as a source of knowledge of God, unlike Ayer, he doesn’t imply that
philosophy should reject its claim altogether. Whilst Ayer speaks scathingly of
philosophers who fallaciously still consider religious experience to be a valid argument for
the existence of God, Donovan observes that many modern philosophers are religious
believers and they will seek to ensure that their arguments support religious experience and
offer knowledge of God. Therefore the implications for philosophy lie clear. The religious
philosophers must recognise their loyalty and responsibility, but they are almost certain not
to please everybody.
In conclusion, religious experiences, in my opinion offer a strong stance on proving God.
Yes they are not empirically verifiable, then again neither is love, but we still accept the
existence of it and people who claim to be in love aren’t perceived to be mad. For those
individuals who have experience God, there lives have been dramatically changed and
therefore they have all the proof that they need. Even Dawkins has stated ‘the argument
from personal experience is the on that is most convincing to those who claim to have had
one’. There is still however an issue with other people who lack this divine experience
believing testimonies and Dawkins further stated that ‘it is the least convincing to anyone
else…’.