The Ethics Of Belief And The Will To Believe

Author : William Kingdon Clifford,William James
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 1896
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1789874459

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The Ethics of Belief and The Will to Believe by William Kingdon Clifford,William James Pdf

William Kingdon Clifford's excellent treatise The Ethics of Belief is in this edition united with The Will to Believe; the spirited response by William James. This book brings together the two essays which comprise the famous philosophical exchange between the mathematician William Kingdon Clifford and William James, a psychologist and philosopher. Famous for articulating the arguments and morality surrounding belief, these two papers are united in a single compact edition for the consideration and study of the reader. The chief difference in opinion between Clifford and James, surrounds the matter of evidence. Clifford argued that belief in anything without supporting evidence is folly; individuals should hold an intellectual duty as well as a moral duty in what they believe. Wishful thinking, supposition, assumptions, or blind faith are therefore unacceptable and can act to damage one's intellect and ability to reason. William James, in opposition to Clifford's view, states that the formation of beliefs is justifiable. He uses the athlete as one example; self-belief in one's abilities or capacity for achievement can provision a psychological edge that results in such beliefs being realized. James then proceeds to outline a number of conditions which seek to justify the phenomena of religious belief as an intellectual and moral occurrence. That the issue of whether God exists is intellectually undecidable is central to James's thesis: a person can, without impinging on their intellect or morals, choose to believe or not to believe in a deity. Both Clifford and James draw upon the established epistemic norms of philosophy, these being the principles which seekers of knowledge and truth should hold when acquiring a belief. Their exchange served to refine the norms in scholarly circles, ushering in a renewed and sustained interest in belief morality. A total of almost two decades elapsed between Clifford and James papers, and Clifford himself died in 1879. However the succinctness of James' reply - which acts as an effective summary for the arguments within many of his lengthier works - brought both his paper and the paper of Clifford to prominence in academic circles.

Author : Anonim
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 8 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 1876
Category : Electronic
ISBN : BL:A0022054851

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The Ethics of Belief. [By William K. Clifford. A Paper Read Before the Metaphysical Society.] by Anonim Pdf

Author : A. J. Burger,William Kingdon Clifford,William James
Publisher : CreateSpace
Page : 112 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2008-08
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 1438251769

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The Ethics of Belief by A. J. Burger,William Kingdon Clifford,William James Pdf

The classic discussion between William Kingdon Clifford (The Ethics of Belief) and William James (The Will to Believe), with added explanatory footnotes, and further commentary by A.J. Burger (An Examination of "The Will to Believe"). Never before have these essays appeared together in their complete and unabridged forms, with added footnotes, in an inexpensive edition. The recent essay by A.J. Burger, published for the first time, provides a thorough and unflinching examination of James' The Will to Believe. "People have long been interested in the circumstances under which it is appropriate to believe. Often, the source of this interest is the desire to believe something for which one has insufficient evidence. Extensive excerpts ... are often reprinted in anthologies. This is sufficient proof of the enduring interest in this subject, and of the importance of these particular essays." -from the Preface

Author : William James
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 1896
Category : Belief and doubt
ISBN : HARVARD:32044017068255

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The Will to Believe by William James Pdf

Author : Scott Aikin
Publisher : A&C Black
Page : 241 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2014-07-17
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781623560171

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Evidentialism and the Will to Believe by Scott Aikin Pdf

Work on the norms of belief in epistemology regularly starts with two touchstone essays: W.K. Clifford's "The Ethics of Belief" and William James's "The Will to Believe." Discussing the central themes from these seminal essays, Evidentialism and the Will to Believe explores the history of the ideas governing evidentialism. As well as Clifford's argument from the examples of the shipowner, the consequences of credulity and his defence against skepticism, this book tackles James's conditions for a genuine option and the structure of the will to believe case as a counter-example to Clifford's evidentialism. Exploring the question of whether James's case successfully counters Clifford's evidentialist rule for belief, this study captures the debate between those who hold that one should proportion belief to evidence and those who hold that the evidentialist norm is too restrictive. More than a sustained explication of the essays, it also surveys recent epistemological arguments to evidentialism. But it is by bringing Clifford and James into fruitful conversation for the first time that this study presents a clearer history of the issues and provides an important reconstruction of the notion of evidence in contemporary epistemology.

Author : A. J. Burger
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 112 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2002-01
Category : Belief and doubt
ISBN : 1931333084

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The Ethics of Belief by A. J. Burger Pdf

(The Ethics of Belief) and William James (The Will toBelieve), with added explanatory footnotes, and furthercommentary by A.J. Burger (An Examination of ?TheWill to Believe?).Never before have these essays appeared together in theircomplete and unabridged forms, with added footnotes, inan inexpensive edition. The recent essay by A.J. Burger, published for the first time, provides a thorough andunflinching examination of James? The Will to Believe.

Author : Timothy Madigan
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2008-12-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781443802635

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W. K. Clifford and "The Ethics of Belief" by Timothy Madigan Pdf

W. K. Clifford (1845-1879) was a noted mathematician and popularizer of science in the Victorian era. Although he made major contributions in the field of geometry, he is perhaps best known for a short essay he wrote in 1876, entitled "The Ethics of Belief", in which he argued that "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for any one, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." Delivered initially as an address to the august Metaphysical Society (whose members included such luminaries as Alfred Lord Tennyson, William Gladstone, T. H. Huxley, and assorted scientists, clerics and philosophers of differing metaphysical views, "The Ethics of Belief" became a rallying cry for freethinkers and a bone of contention for religious apologists. It continues to be discussed today as an exemplar of what is called 'evidentialism', a key point in current philosophy of religion debates over justification of knowledge claims. In this book, Timothy J. Madigan examines the continuing relevance of "The Ethics of Belief" to epistemological and ethical concerns. He places the essay within the historical context, especially the so-called 'Victorian Crisis of Faith' of which Clifford was a key player. Clifford's own life and interests are dealt with as well, along with the responses to his essay by his contemporaries, the most famous of which was William James's "The Will to Believe." Madigan provides an overview of modern-day critics of Cliffordian evidentialism, as well as examining thinkers who were positively influenced by him, including Bertrand Russell, who was perhaps Clifford's most influential successor as an advocate of intellectual honesty. The book ends with a defense of "The Ethics of Belief" from a virtue-theory approach, and argues that Clifford utilizes an "as-if" methodology to encourage intellectual inquiry and communal truth-seeking.' The Ethics of Belief' continues to provoke and stimulate controversy, which was perhaps Clifford's own fondest hope, although he had no right to believe it would do so.

Author : Michael R. Slater
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 259 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2009-09-10
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780521760164

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William James on Ethics and Faith by Michael R. Slater Pdf

A new interpretation of James's ethical and religious thought focusing on the prominent role these views played in his philosophy.

Author : Miriam Schleifer McCormick
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2014-10-30
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781136682681

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Believing Against the Evidence by Miriam Schleifer McCormick Pdf

The question of whether it is ever permissible to believe on insufficient evidence has once again become a live question. Greater attention is now being paid to practical dimensions of belief, namely issues related to epistemic virtue, doxastic responsibility, and voluntarism. In this book, McCormick argues that the standards used to evaluate beliefs are not isolated from other evaluative domains. The ultimate criteria for assessing beliefs are the same as those for assessing action because beliefs and actions are both products of agency. Two important implications of this thesis, both of which deviate from the dominant view in contemporary philosophy, are 1) it can be permissible (and possible) to believe for non-evidential reasons, and 2) we have a robust control over many of our beliefs, a control sufficient to ground attributions of responsibility for belief.

Author : William James
Publisher : BoD – Books on Demand
Page : 210 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2018-05-23
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9783732697816

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The Will to Believe by William James Pdf

Reproduction of the original: The Will to Believe by William James

Author : William Kingdon Clifford
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 1999
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : UVA:X004253021

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The Ethics of Belief and Other Essays by William Kingdon Clifford Pdf

"It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." -- W. K. Clifford The above forthright assertion of mathematician and educator W. K. Clifford (1845-1879) in his famous essay "The Ethics of Belief" drew an immediate response from Victorian-era critics, who took issue with his reasoned and brilliantly presented attack on beliefs "not founded on fair inquiry." An advocate of evolutionary theory, Clifford recognized that working hypotheses and assumptions are necessary for belief formation and that testing and assessing one's beliefs in light of new evidence strengthens those worthy of being held. "The Ethics of Belief" is presented here in complete form, along with an insightful biographical introduction by editor Timothy J. Madigan. Also included are four other noteworthy essays by Clifford: "On the Aims and Instruments of Scientific Thought," "Right and Wrong," "The Ethics of Religion," and "The Influence upon Morality of a Decline in Religious Belief."

Author : Rik Peels
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2017
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780190608118

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Responsible Belief by Rik Peels Pdf

What we believe and what we do not believe has a great impact on what we do and fail to do. Hence, if we want to act responsibly, we should believe responsibly. However, do we have the kind of control over our beliefs that such responsibility for our beliefs seems to require? Do we have certain obligations to control or influence our beliefs on particular occasions? And do we sometimes believe responsibly despite violating such obligations, namely because we are excused by, say, indoctrination or ignorance? By answering each of these questions, Rik Peels provides a theory of what it is to believe responsibly. He argues that we lack control over our beliefs, but that we can nonetheless influence our beliefs by performing actions that make a difference to what we believe. We have a wide variety of moral, prudential, and epistemic obligations to perform such belief-influencing actions. We can be held responsible for our beliefs in virtue of such influence on our beliefs. Sometimes, we believe responsibly despite having violated such obligations, namely if we are excused, by force, ignorance, or luck. A careful consideration of these excuses teaches us, respectively, that responsible belief entails that we could have failed to have that belief, that responsible belief is in a specific sense radically subjective, and that responsible belief is compatible with its being a matter of luck that we hold that belief.

Author : Jonathan E. Adler
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2006-01-20
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 0262261375

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Belief's Own Ethics by Jonathan E. Adler Pdf

The fundamental question of the ethics of belief is "What ought one to believe?" According to the traditional view of evidentialism, the strength of one's beliefs should be proportionate to the evidence. Conventional ways of defending and challenging evidentialism rely on the idea that what one ought to believe is a matter of what it is rational, prudent, ethical, or personally fulfilling to believe. Common to all these approaches is that they look outside of belief itself to determine what one ought to believe. In this book Jonathan Adler offers a strengthened version of evidentialism, arguing that the ethics of belief should be rooted in the concept of belief—that evidentialism is belief's own ethics. A key observation is that it is not merely that one ought not, but that one cannot, believe, for example, that the number of stars is even. The "cannot" represents a conceptual barrier, not just an inability. Therefore belief in defiance of one's evidence (or evidentialism) is impossible. Adler addresses such questions as irrational beliefs, reasonableness, control over beliefs, and whether justifying beliefs requires a foundation. Although he treats the ethics of belief as a central topic in epistemology, his ideas also bear on rationality, argument and pragmatics, philosophy of religion, ethics, and social cognitive psychology.

Author : William James
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 357 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2014-03-20
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781108067232

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The Will to Believe by William James Pdf

Philosopher William James posits pragmatic grounds for religious belief and moral action in these ten essays, published together in 1897.

Author : John Bishop
Publisher : Clarendon Press
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2007-04-12
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780191525575

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Believing by Faith by John Bishop Pdf

Can it be justifiable to commit oneself 'by faith' to a religious claim when its truth lacks adequate support from one's total available evidence? In Believing by Faith, John Bishop defends a version of fideism inspired by William James's 1896 lecture 'The Will to Believe'. By critiquing both 'isolationist' (Wittgensteinian) and Reformed epistemologies of religious belief, Bishop argues that anyone who accepts that our publicly available evidence is equally open to theistic and naturalist/atheistic interpretations will need to defend a modest fideist position. This modest fideism understands theistic commitment as involving 'doxastic venture' - practical commitment to propositions held to be true through 'passional' causes (causes other than the recognition of evidence of or for their truth). While Bishop argues that concern about the justifiability of religious doxastic venture is ultimately moral concern, he accepts that faith-ventures can be morally justifiable only if they are in accord with the proper exercise of our rational epistemic capacities. Legitimate faith-ventures may thus never be counter-evidential, and, furthermore, may be made supra-evidentially only when the truth of the faith-proposition concerned necessarily cannot be settled on the basis of evidence. Bishop extends this Jamesian account by requiring that justifiable faith-ventures should also be morally acceptable both in motivation and content. Hard-line evidentialists, however, insist that all religious faith-ventures are morally wrong. Bishop thus conducts an extended debate between fideists and hard-line evidentialists, arguing that neither side can succeed in establishing the irrationality of its opposition. He concludes by suggesting that fideism may nevertheless be morally preferable, as a less dogmatic, more self-accepting, even a more loving, position than its evidentialist rival.