What does fideism mean?
Fideism is the doctrine that religious belief rests on faith rather than on reason or evidence. In philosophy of religion, it names the position that faith operates independently of rational demonstration — and that attempts to prove God's existence by argument may be misguided, since genuine belief arises from trust, experience, or divine grace instead. The term derives from the Latin fides, meaning 'faith,' and entered scholarly use in the nineteenth century, although thinkers such as Blaise Pascal, Johann Georg Hamann, and Søren Kierkegaard are frequently identified with the outlook long before the label existed. Fideism ranges from moderate forms, which grant reason a limited role while insisting that faith transcends it, to radical forms, which treat reason and faith as outright rivals. It is usually discussed in academic contexts and is often applied critically, since few theologians accept the label themselves. The word remains central to debates about whether belief can — or should — be justified rationally.
The epistemological doctrine that faith is the only or primary basis for religious knowledge, independent of — and in some versions opposed to — reason and evidence.
"The seminar examined whether Wittgensteinian readings of religion amount to a form of fideism."
Often used pejoratively; philosophers rarely describe their own views as fideistic.
By extension, reliance on faith or conviction where rational grounds are lacking.
"His refusal to examine the evidence struck her as sheer fideism."
Fideism says the leap of faith isn't a failure of reason — it's simply not reason's business at all.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fideism
The English noun fideism comes from the Latin fides, meaning 'faith' or 'trust', combined with the suffix -ism. It was coined in the context of nineteenth-century debates over the relation of faith to reason, notably in discussions of certain strands of Catholic and Protestant thought. Latin fides is also the root behind cognates such as fidelity, confide, bona fide, and infidel, all carrying the core sense of trustworthiness or belief.
Related word forms
How fideism is actually used
Fideism is a technical term of theology and philosophy of religion, used mainly in academic discussion; it often carries a mildly critical connotation when applied by opponents to a thinker who never embraced the label. The term is commonly traced to the nineteenth century, though positions now called fideistic appear much earlier in writers such as Pascal, Hamann, and Kierkegaard.
Easily confused with fideism
Feudalism is a medieval social and landholding system, whereas fideism is a theological position holding that faith is independent of reason.