What assumptions and rationalities—secular or religious—shape the way we think? College and universities exist to enhance human understanding by creating (or framing) new knowledge. But the formation of knowledge within the academy is no longer just a matter of discovering “facts.” Factual knowledge is surrounded by a host of interpretive and methodological frameworks that shape the way reality is understood. This chapter examines how various presuppositions (or worldviews) shape the ways scholars view knowledge and how they assess various forms of proof or evidence put forward to support...

What assumptions and rationalities—secular or religious—shape the way we think? College and universities exist to enhance human understanding by creating (or framing) new knowledge. But the formation of knowledge within the academy is no longer just a matter of discovering “facts.” Factual knowledge is surrounded by a host of interpretive and methodological frameworks that shape the way reality is understood. This chapter examines how various presuppositions (or worldviews) shape the ways scholars view knowledge and how they assess various forms of proof or evidence put forward to support differing knowledge claims. Two distinctive academic styles of reflection are described (monist and pluralist), and their connections to religion are explored.