Philosophy

Philosophy Study Guide

3.12 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. 3.13 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. 3.14 James: Religious Belief is Legitimate and Compelling Psychologist William James believed that there are many areas of experience in which we must act in faith to achieve truth. James believes that skeptical demands for evidence are appropriate when analyzing and describing the physical world, but this is not the case in areas like creative scientific discovery, morality, human relationships, and religious beliefs. In these areas, to demand incontrovertible evidence before believing would condemn us to living in frightened ignorance, more terrified of making a mistake than discovering truths that go beyond air-tight logic. For James,, although our intellect and ability to think logically are powerful tools for understanding the world, they are not sufficient. He states that we also need to make full use of the abilities of our passion natures when attempting to make sense of and discover the truth in areas like morality, religion, and human relationships. There are three areas in which believing beyond evidence are the best course of action: ● When you are confronted with a genuine option that cannot be decided on evidential grounds, you have the right to decide the issue according to your passion nature. ● When faced with a situation where belief in a fact is necessary for the existence of that fact, you have the right to believe beyond the evidence. ● In a situation in which belief in a true proposition is necessary for getting at the evidence in support of its truth, you are entitled to believe.

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