Can We Really Know If Christianity Is True? | (Dr. Trent Dougherty) | Ep. 571

This episode's mature themes may not be suitable for children. Catholic philosopher and epistemologist, Dr. Trent Dougherty, joins Pints to tackle the age-old question: what does it even mean to know something? The conversation weaves between rigorous philosophical debate - Descartes, Gettier, justified true belief and vulnerable personal territory where Dougherty shares his battles with the inner demons that plagued his pursuit of success. Ep. 571 -- -- – 📚 Resources Mentioned: Books • Introduction to the Devout Life by Saint Francis de Sales https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Devout-Life-Image-Classics/dp/0385030096 • The Problem of Animal Pain by Trent Dougherty https://www.amazon.com/Problem-Animal-Pain-Creatures-Philosophy/dp/0230368484 • The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis https://www.amazon.com/Discarded-Image-Introduction-Renaissance-Literature/dp/1107604702 • The Four Cardinal Virtues by Josef Pieper https://www.amazon.com/Four-Cardinal-Virtues-Josef-Pieper/dp/0268001030 • Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius of Loyola https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Exercises-St-Ignatius-Loyola/dp/0895550555 • The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis https://www.amazon.com/Imitation-Christ-Thomas-Kempis/dp/0385302754 • Against Heresies by Irenaeus (Church Fathers) https://www.amazon.com/Against-Heresies-Irenaeus-Lyons/dp/1614279551 Debates / Conversations • The Bertrand Russell vs. Frederick Copleston Debate (1948 BBC) https://www.ditext.com/russell/debate.html • Trent Dougherty and Tom Jump YouTube Conversation https://youtu.be/qw-ihYHwYUA?si=fEaxOKlwS_FOM4X_ -- -- – ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 Intro and Why Epistemology Matters 02:52 Solipsism, the Void, and the Problem of Other Minds 07:16 Descartes Reconsidered: Starting From Within 14:34 What Is Belief? Breaking It Down From First Principles 16:35 The Gettier Problem and the Death of "Justified True Belief" 25:14 How Evidence Accumulates: Probability, Testimony, and Medieval Law 31:06 Why Christians Hold Their Faith to an Unfair Standard 44:07 Lewis Carroll, Modus Ponens, and the Bedrock of All Reasoning 56:15 Skepticism Is a Failure of Nerve 01:04:39 Dougherty's Conversion: Hearing the Gospel for the First Time 01:09:59 How an Atheist Teacher Armed Dougherty With the Tools to Defend His Faith 01:14:31 The Great Reversal: How Analytic Philosophy Ended Up Proving God 03:01:37 Forget "Knowledge," Just Follow the Evidence -- -- – Today's Sponsors: Seven Weeks Coffee: Save up to 25% with promo code 'PINTS' at https://sevenweekscoffee.com/PINTS St. Paul Center: Share your faith with others this Easter Season by joining the Easter Accompaniment Challenge. Sign up and become a member today at https://stpaulcenter.com/pints Catholic Match: Download the app or head to https://CatholicMatch.com and find your forever. Charity Mobile: Visit https://charitymobile.com/MATTFRADD to get started. PreBorn: Make a difference for generations to come. Donate securely online at https://preborn.com/PINTS or dial #250 keyword 'BABY' -- -- -- Become a Daily Wire Member and watch all of our content ad-free: https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe 📲 Download the free Daily Wire app today on iPhone, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Samsung, and more. -- -- -- 📕 Get my newest book, Jesus Our Refuge, here: https://a.co/d/bDU0xLb 🍺 Want to Support Pints With Aquinas? 🍺 Get episodes a week early, score a free PWA beer stein, and join exclusive live streams with me! Become an annual supporter at 👉 https://mattfradd.locals.com/support -- -- -- 💻 Follow Me on Social Media: 📌 Facebook: https://facebook.com/mattfradd 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/mattfradd 𝕏 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Pints_W_Aquinas 🎵 TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@pintswithaquinas 📚 PWA Merch – https://dwplus.shop/MattFraddMerch 👕 Grab your favorite PWA gear here: https://shop.pintswithaquinas.com #MattFradd #TrentDougherty #PintsWithAquinas #CatholicPodcast #CatholicYouTube #DailyWire #TheDailyWire