Introduction to Philosophy

Achieve Test Prep: Philosophy

Hick’s use of the free will solution concedes that there is an appalling amount of moral evil in the world but insists that it would be logically impossible for God to achieve his purpose of soul-making by creating puppets who always acted rightly.

Faith and Religious Experience For many religious believers, traditional proofs and evidence may play a role in their religious beliefs, but in the final analysis, it is the power of faith that forms the core of their commitment. Faith has to do with the acceptance of a belief as true in situations in which one does not have direct empirical knowledge and where, perhaps, no empirical knowledge is even possible. Some philosophers would say that faith is a choice, not in itself a type of knowledge in the traditional sense, although the believer will certainly be likely to talk about the knowledge derived from faith. Faith is often thought to lead to a form of knowing that is fundamentally different from objective and rational analysis—one that transcends traditional categories of thought and language. For many religions, faith is based on developing a relationship with a supernatural force or Creator. Faith necessarily involves risk, as it is the very absence of conclusive demonstrable proof that makes room for faith. If we were objectively certain in our beliefs, faith would be unnecessary. Faith entails the possibility of our being wrong whether it is regarding religion or regarding love. In spite of the risk there is a primal urge in many people to believe and to have faith in the reality of something larger than themselves. Pascal: Religious Faith as a Wager The issue of risk is the central theme from Blaise Pascal from Thoughts on Religion . He mentions “a wager” on the concept of whether God exists, and Pascal presents us with two possible bets or wagers. He suggests that we should consider a belief in God as a wager, balancing the chance for eternal life and happiness against the experiencing of limited and restricted earthly pleasures. He believed that reason can decide nothing and there is infinite chaos which separates us; further, he claims that only fools would not choose to believe in God and live their lives based on this assumption. Clifford: Religious Beliefs Require Sufficient Evidence Clifford believes that we should believe in God because it is in our self-interest and argues that the only legitimate justification for beliefs is that which is based on solid evidence. In his writings from The Ethics of Belief , he claims that it doesn’t matter what we have convinced ourselves to believe if our belief is not supported by sufficient evidence. Further, it is sinful because it is stolen in defiance of our duty to mankind. Clifford contends that we should not accept or endorse any belief that is not supported by sufficient evidence and that to do so is both immortal and a sin against humankind. He believed that we are ethically responsible for our beliefs and the actions are a result of these beliefs. Clifford believed that thinking critically about our beliefs is not simply an effective practice but he contends that it is our moral responsibility.

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