PresupU: Presuppositions

Presuppositions as Foundational Assumptions

Presuppositions have a paradigmatic element to it that it actually affects the way I see things. And if I'm to change from non-christian to Christian those presuppositions have to have to have this paradigmatic shift to seeing things in a completely different way.

Because presuppositions are so foundational all. Right. Okay. So they are elementary or foundational assumptions in one's reasoning process by which opinions are formed presuppositions form a wide-ranging foundational perspective perspective or starting point.

Okay. They are so foundational that in order to demonstrate the truth of your presuppositions you cannot demonstrate the truth of your presuppositions by appealing to something more fundamental than your presuppositions.

Your presuppositions are your starting point. Those are the beliefs upon which all your other beliefs are based. Does that make sense. Okay. Very important. Now some people say you can't demonstrate the truth of your presuppositions.

Why Presuppositions Cannot Be Proved by a Higher Standard

Because how do you demonstrate something. Don't you need some standard of evaluation to judge whether something else is true. But if you're trying to prove the truth of your presuppositions how do you do that by appealing to a standard that lords over and evaluates those presuppositions.

If in order to demonstrate the truth of your presuppositions it requires some other standard more foundational than it to validate it. Then that's not your ultimate presuppositions this is over here the standard.

And so you do not prove your presuppositions by appealing to something external to your presuppositions. Presuppositions in a person's perspective are this the other. These foundational givens. So to speak now as Christians as presuppositional as we believe you can demonstrate the truth of your presuppositions.

The Christian Worldview and Transcendental Necessity

But you don't do it by appealing to something outside of them. Okay. The Christian presupposition list will prove or demonstrate the truth of his presupposition that the Bible is the Word of God Christian God exists.

All these sorts of things. We prove them by appealing to what we would call its transcendental necessity. We prove it by the impossibility of the contrary. I don't prove it by showing you over here. This is why it's true.

Look at the evidence for it. No. No. Because evidence is evaluated in light of those presuppositions I show you that the ultimate presupposition from the Christian is true. Because if you deny it you couldn't make sense out of anything at all.