RODRIGO CÉSAR CASTRO LIMA

I propose a return to a Kierkegaardian-Wittgensteinian approach in philosophy of religion, arguing that contemporary analytic philosophy of religion suffers from a metaphysical confusion. Current debates conflate objective "truthmakers" (e.g., religious or mystical experiences) with subjective beliefs, leading to a "confusion of the spheres" in which religion is analyzed using categories that are alien to its nature. To resolve this, my proposal centers on three main points: (i) challenging the assumptions underlying current philosophy of religion; (ii) reviving a non-evidentialist view of belief to clarify what is at stake in making a subjective commitment; and (iii) asserting that subjective religious commitment is not about uncertain beliefs, but rather about a deeply personal certainty (as in the case of mystical experiences) that cannot be expressed or justified. Ultimately, such certainties can only be demonstrated through a radical commitment to existence itself, something that is wholly inaccessible from a purely objective standpoint.