The Ethics Of Belief By Clifford. Pascal - 1776 Words

Why it is wrong to Believe Anything upon Insufficient Evidence Name Institution Introduction The fact that one can believe in something or a statement is based on, among other factors, the available evidence. A range of philosophers have written widely on this topic. Clifford in his Influential essay â€Å"The Ethics of Belief† defends the contention that it is always wrong for any human being to believe anything if there is insufficient evidence. He uses two stories to illustrate wrong ways through which people arrive at beliefs. William James, however, disapproves Clifford. Pascal has a different view on belief formation where he argues that reasons for believing and failing to believe in God are indecisive. The three philosophers have varied views on how beliefs are formed. This essay discusses the reasons why Clifford made the above conclusion, the position taken by James in his opposition and how the argument relates to Pascal’s Wager. In Clifford’s first section of his essay, he narrates two stories as an illustration of how beliefs are arrived at. His first story is that of the ship owner who sends an immigration ship out to sea. The ship owner had a dream where he saw the ship sink and as a result, doubts whether the ship is fit to sail safely in the sea. Instead of having the doubts cleared through asking an expert to do thorough investigation; an expensive and time-consuming exercise, he goes ahead to recommend that the ship goes out toShow MoreRelatedSummary Of Blaise Pascal s The Wager 1286 Words   |  6 Pagesbelieve in God. In response to this, William Clifford publishes â€Å"The Ethics of Belief† countering Pascal’s view. Neither Pascal or Clifford’s views are perfect, but they are both worth examining. Clifford s universal rejection of pragmatic justification is ultimately too harsh on Pascal’s Wager. Pascal utilizes reason to come to the conclusion whether or not it is beneficial to believe in God’s existence. It is important to note that in Pascal’s Wager, Pascal is not using reason to determine if God existsRead MoreThe Ethic Of Believe1583 Words   |  7 PagesProf: J. Kessler PHL 101 The ethic of believe. People have been always interested to know the circumstances under which it is necessary to believe. Believing on facts or not depend by the person. In this paper I look to demonstrate if Is it wrong to hold a belief on insufficient evidence or is it morally right to believe based on the sufficient evidence. In this paper I aim to discuss the other philosopher in contrast with Clifford. My issue is to show what mean to believe and howRead MoreQuestions On Pascal s Wager1833 Words   |  8 PagesPascal’s Wager is often considered one of philosophies weakest religious arguments to date. Pascal invents a wager to persuade the one who questions God into attending church, following the Ten Commandments, and following any other traditions in the Catholic Church. The wager is, if a person is a believer and after departing from this earth they find that they are correct, then their rewards are infinite. They will receive eternal life and a relationship with God in heaven. On the othe r hand if aRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesStudies Approach with Spreadsheets, Fourth Edition Stevenson and Ozgur, Introduction to Management Science with Spreadsheets, First Edition Project Management The Managerial Process Fifth Edition Erik W. Larson Oregon State University Clifford F. Gray Oregon State University PROJECT MANAGEMENT: THE MANAGERIAL PROCESS Published by McGraw-Hill/Irwin, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10020. Copyright  © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill