By C.L. Bolt
We spoke before of beliefs that are preconditions for intelligible experience; transcendental beliefs. A set of transcendental beliefs constitute what we might call the transcendental conceptual scheme. If there were some view of the world that were completely “other” with respect to our own then we would be unable to comprehend it as a competitor. When no comparison can be made between two different schemes the two schemes are not recognizable by their respective adherents. The foreign scheme would simply not mate with our own. If we were unable to understand such an allegedly competing transcendental then we would not recognize it for what it is; another competing view. We have not established by virtue of this observation that there is only one possible scheme, but rather that we can only know one. Indeed, there is more than one scheme, as God does not share our scheme.
However, it can be established that there can only be one such scheme with respect to human intelligibility. If transcendental beliefs are necessary for intelligible experience then there cannot be other beliefs which fit the bill, else the aforementioned beliefs would not be necessary. So these beliefs taken together constitute the conceptual scheme which serves as the transcendental; this conceptual scheme and none other is the necessary precondition of intelligible experience. Finally, note that the Christian worldview is not merely a conceptual scheme, but worldview and scheme inextricably tied together as noted before. Understanding what has been discussed here may seem a bit difficult or fuzzy at first, but it is essential for understanding what is going on “behind the scenes” of an apologetic encounter using transcendental argumentation.
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