Belief that does not rest on logical proof or theological evidence.
Although it is the opposite of reason, belief that is based on proof and evidence, faith is not limited to the religious and theological arenas. It takes a certain amount of faith to trust causality and repeatability (refer to Hume's
philosophy), two fundamental principles that scientific research is based on.
It requires just as much faith to say for certain that there is no god as it does to say there is
one, perhaps even more since there is no 2000 year
old book to
base your arguments on.
Any beliefs that are not 100% supported by facts and evidence. This includes religious beliefs, hope for the future, and trust in other people as
well as trust in the truthfulness of scientific theories.
Where there is doubt, faith is needed.
I have faith that the career path I've chosen
will bring me many megatons o' moolah.
I have faith that the
Bible and my church are right in their teachings, and
will lead me to become a better person.
It may answer so many questions that the rest of the world leaves unanswered, but it still takes a LOT of faith to believe in something as ridiculous as quantum mechanics.