this is about philosophy, about the ethics of belief by Clifford, James and Berger. i hope u can help.. im sooo confused right now. :c
2007-09-25 00:33:31 · 4 answers · asked by ihateclowns_1289 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
My view is simple. To believe is the same as "to hold as true". It is not blind acceptance. Columbus had to "hold as true", i.e. believe, that the world was not flat in order to proceed with his exploration. We believe something in order to proceed.
2007-09-25 00:38:04 · answer #1 · answered by Matthew T 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
James is correct in affirming that there are truths that one will never believe if one only has beliefs based upon evidence. Burger is trying to claim that decisions that cannot be made on "intellectual" grounds are non-necessary; often wrong. Clifford states "The credulous man is father to the liar and the cheat.Thus we see, by the rejection of faith, beneficial consequences both to ourselves and others. What could be more desirable than this? "
They are, all three, saying in essence, if you can't see it, prove it, it isn't logical or necessary to believe it.
It is the age old arguement of philosophers....is there, or isn't there a God.....one will say yes, the other no, for different reasons. There is always a seed of doubt that comes along with belief, even with belief based thoroughly in evidence...the "what if I'm wrong" ........I don't think that belief cant be quantified or qualified. I feel as though belief, whether it be in solid evidence or through instinct, is an intrinsic part of human nature. The time when it is appropriate to believe is when you choose to believe.
2007-09-25 08:41:43 · answer #2 · answered by aidan402 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"to be of the opinion that something exists or is a reality, especially when there is no absolute proof of its existence or reality"
none of these answers can tell you who or what to believe but first you have to ask yourself "in my opinion do i think that the ethics of belief by Clifford, James or Berger is absolute? is what they are saying truly existent? if is so then you have your core beliefs. if it is not then you are a disciple of philosophy. i.e you are questioning the beliefs of our time.
hope this was helpful
2007-09-25 07:50:12 · answer #3 · answered by smfaph 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All human belief is based on faith...including science.
Believe. Employ faith. Always seeking truth. Possess an open mind and a hatred for contradiction, hypocrisy, and double-standard.
2007-09-25 07:42:18 · answer #4 · answered by Aztec276 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋