What is the debate between Clifford and James?

What is the debate between Clifford and James?

Clifford holds that believing is always morally impermissible unless one has sufficient evidence. James holds that there are conditions under which it is morally permissible to believe a proposition that is not supported by sufficient evidence.

How does James’s view of the religious hypothesis compare with Clifford’s view of the religious hypothesis?

On the contrary, Clifford holds that religious belief brings with it a host of other intellectual vices of credulity. Alternately, James’s will-to-believe doctrine is committed to the proposition that religious belief may be responsibly held.

What is Clifford’s primary thesis?

clifford’s main thesis. it is wrong always/everywhere for anyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.

Does Clifford believe in God?

Clifford argues that it is wrong to believe in God if one does not have evidence that God exists.

Does Clifford admit any exceptions to his principle?

Terms in this set (12) Clifford asserts that it is always wrong for anyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence. Clifford admits that there are exceptions to his ethics of belief. According to Clifford, no person’s belief is a private matter that concerns him or her alone.

Does Clifford think that all of our beliefs are morally significant?

Clifford’s theory throughout the essay was “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” Clifford thinks that it is a moral obligation for you to confirm each of your beliefs with sufficient proof, no matter how questionable or insignificant the beliefs may be.

What is James criticism of Clifford and how does it relate to the two distinct epistemic imperatives?

James’ criticism of Clifford is unfair: Clifford is demanding that we believe things on sufficient evidence, not demanding that we believe things on conclusive evidence. So it is far from clear that Clifford is saying, “Better risk loss of truth than chance of error.”

Why is Clifford’s essay called The Ethics of Belief?

Clifford’s essay is called The Ethics of Belief, and for good reason. He wants to convince us that forming our beliefs in the right way is a matter of real ethical importance.

What is Clifford’s view regarding belief?

(Clifford’s Principle) “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence.” There might be at least two kinds of diachronic obligation here: one governing how we form and hold beliefs over time, and the other governing how we relinquish or revise beliefs over time.

What is William James main thesis in The Will to Believe?

James’ central argument in “The Will to Believe” hinges on the idea that access to the evidence for whether or not certain beliefs are true depends crucially upon first adopting those beliefs without evidence.

What is Clifford’s main conclusion?

Clifford argues that it is wrong to believe in God if one does not have evidence that God exists. 1 As he puts it near the end of his article, “…it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” (p. )