The Ethics of Belief

“An awful privilege, and an awful responsibility, that we should help to create the world in which posterity will live.”

~ WK Clifford. The Ethics of Belief. page 4.

This quote is relevant to the text because Clifford holds society responsible for the success of future generations. If we teach the young to be gullible and have beliefs based on feelings, not evidence, we are creating a world in which no proof in necessary for any belief.

Premise 1: By letting ourselves “believe for unworthy reasons, we weaken our powers of self-control” (p.6).

Premise 2: The common good of the people suffers greatly when evidence is not fairly weighed before believing in something.

Conclusion: Therefore, Clifford is arguing that actions based on unjustified beliefs either cause harm directly to people or they encourage gullibility.

WK Clifford, author of the text, The Ethics of Belief, argues that beliefs must have just evidence before any action should be taken.He provides two examples, one of a sailor and his ship, and the other of an attack on religion. In each of the cases, actions are based on belief without actual proof of theses believes. The captain sends his boat out to sea without thoroughly checking it because he believes it is fit for the journey. Members of an island society attack prestigious religious leaders based on their beliefs that they are corrupt, not actual proof. The ship sent to sea sinks, and the captain is left with tremendous amounts of guilt. The religious men are proven innocent of their claims, and the attackers are no longer seen as honorable men. By letting ourselves “believe for unworthy reasons, we weaken our powers of self-control” (p.6). The common good of the people suffers greatly when evidence is not fairly weighed before believing in something. Therefore, Clifford is arguing that actions based on unjustified beliefs either cause harm directly to people or they encourage gullibility.  While a “man’s belief is so fixed that he cannot think otherwise, he still has a choice in regard to the action suggested by it” (p.3). One might believe that something is true or of merit,  it is up to him or her to find significant evidence before sharing this belief with others.

I believe that in this particular argument, Clifford is right. His reasonings is sound and valid. People can act upon their beliefs with insignificant evidence and have a positive outcome, but that does not make them any less guilty or  right to believe said thing in the first place. The question is  “not whether [the] belief [is] true or false, but whether [he or she] entertained it on wrong grounds” (p.2).  His reasoning should be used in daily life. People believe in religion, reasons to start a war or place blame all without proof.  One must have sufficient evidence before jumping to conclusion.

His thesis is a fallacy within itself. He argues that one must have evidence before acting, yet he has no evidence when arguing that actions based on unjust beliefs cause harm. He is presumptuous in believing that people cannot make decisions independently of their beliefs.  Actions that do not match believes can happen, but it is more likely that people to some degree act upon what they believe in.

Word Count: 542