Luigi Giussani

Question 1

What is the main theme Luigi Guissani discussed?

Answer 1

• The text explores the relationship between faith and reason which he argues that faith is not opposed to reason but is a rational way of knowing.
• Luigi Giussani emphasises that human knowledge is acquired through mediation or through a witness
• Indirect knowledge is fundamental method in culture, history and personal understanding

Question 2

What is an evidence about a friends testimony

Answer 2

Trusting a Friend’s Testimony:
- The narrator trusts Carlo’s statement about Anna’s presence based on prior reliability, illustrating reasoned judgment in indirect knowledge.

Question 3

Provide an example of knowledge mediated through a witness

Answer 3

Nadia’s Story about Carlo:
- The narrator learns about Carlo’s life through Nadia’s testimony and relays it to Tom as if personally witnessed. This exemplifies knowledge mediated through a witness.

Question 4

Provide and example of parental testimony

Answer 4

Parental Testimony:
- The narrator’s mother recounts an accident. Though the narrator didn’t witness it, he shares the information with certainty because of trust in his mother’s credibility.

Question 5

Provide an example of how indirect knowledge is important

Answer 5

Culture and Scientific Progress:
- Human knowledge builds upon the discoveries of others, requiring faith in prior achievements.

Question 6

When is it reasonable to trust a witness, and what does it mean to distrust them without cause?

Answer 6

• If there are adequate reasons to trust a witness, the it is with reason to trust
• If you don’t have reasons to distrust a witness yet you still do the you are defying reason.