Rational Virtues and the Problem of Theory Choice

This chapter examines the criteria which are used to decide which scientific or religious theory is to be preferred. After consideration of what is meant by a ‘theory’, particular attention is paid to the process of ‘inference to the best explanation’, in which a choice is made between several potential theories on the basis of certain criteria—such as their correspondence with reality, or their internal coherence. Is the best theory the most elegant? The simplest? Or the one most likely to predict outcomes? These points are considered in relation to both scientific and theological theories, with engagement with historical examples to illustrate the principles at issue.