Skip to content

Booksellers & Trade Customers: Sign up for online bulk buying at trade.atlanticbooks.com for wholesale discounts

Booksellers: Create Account on our B2B Portal for wholesale discounts

Why Your Grandma's Belief in God is Justified: Uncovering the Pragmatic Root of Rationality

by John D. Bessis
Save 5% Save 5%
Current price ₹654.00
Original price ₹686.00
Original price ₹686.00
Original price ₹686.00
(-5%)
₹654.00
Current price ₹654.00

Imported Edition - Ships in 18-21 Days

Free Shipping in India on orders above Rs. 500

Request Bulk Quantity Quote
+91
Book cover type: Paperback
  • ISBN13: 9798991539708
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Subject: N/A
  • Publisher: Ivory Tower Books
  • Publisher Imprint: Ivory Tower Books
  • Publication Date:
  • Pages: 148
  • Original Price: USD 7.0
  • Language: English
  • Edition: N/A
  • Item Weight: 209 grams
  • BISAC Subject(s): Movements / Analytic

Modern critics often dismiss belief in God as irrational-a comforting illusion lacking hard evidence. But what if the standard for "rational belief" is itself flawed?

Challenged by figures like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins, John Bessis set out to scrutinize the foundations of his faith. His journey led to a striking conclusion: belief in God is rational-it works, even for everyday believers like his grandmother.

This book pursues that claim through three questions: What is rationality? What is truth? And how do these bear on belief in God?

Drawing on William James' pragmatism, Bessis argues that rationality is not a static standard but a satisfying fit between concept and context. By linking satisfaction to adaptation, pragmatism shifts the center of truth from its representational form to its mediating function-its power to marry inner life and outer reality. Truth happens to an idea when it gathers our scattered thoughts, feelings, and actions into a livable harmony with the surrounding world. Using this functionalist framework, Bessis shows how faith is justified by its pragmatic fruits. Your grandma's belief in God is true not only because it holds together in her experience, but because it helps hold her experiences together.

This book seeks to reconcile what modern thought has too often divided-the mystical and the scientific, the practical and the philosophical, mind and spirit-by uncovering their deeper unity within our passional nature. It is written for those who sense that they should not have to choose between their head and their heart: for disciplined thinkers who feel deeply, and for imaginative spirits who reason carefully. It is for seekers who desire faith without surrendering intellectual integrity, and for believers who wish to give a clearer account of the hope that animates them.

Trusted for over 49 years

Family Owned Company

Secure Payment

All Major Credit Cards/Debit Cards/UPI & More Accepted

New & Authentic Products

India's Largest Distributor

Need Support?

Whatsapp Us