BELIEF ACCORDING TO JAMES
According to James, belief is measured by actions of people within the society. Hypothesis and options are used in the description of beliefs. Hypothesis can be named to anything that proposes beliefs. It can be further classified as dead or alive. A live hypothesis is something real and viewed as true for anyone who proposes it. For example, in his submission, belief in Mahdi makes no electric connection with nature of any individual. This according to James is a dead hypothesis because beliefs are imaginary and does not produce light like electricity does. On the other hand, the hypothesis is alive according to followers of Mahdi. This is because the hypothesis among the believers is in their minds. Therefore, wherever there is willingness to act, beliefs are dominant.
Another aspect related to belief is option. Option can therefore be defined as the decision between two hypotheses. Options can further be divided into several types. Living or dead options, forced or avoidable, trivial or momentous are some of the classifications of options. A genuine option is one that posses momentous, living and forced kinds of options. A living option is one in which both hypotheses are alive. For example, “to be a theosophist or be a Mohammedan” can be classified as a dead option because both hypotheses are likely to be dead. On the other hand, “Be an agnostic or be a Christian” can be classified as live hypotheses because such hypotheses make appeals.
Moreover, several aspects are important when analyzing the genuine option according to James. For example, “choose between going out with your umbrella or without it”, this does not offer a genuine option because it is not forced. A person can easily avoid using ...
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...earth according to this doctrine. Moreover, people believe they can be in better positions when they continue think and roll up their experiences. The strength of this method lies in principles and outcomes. According to the empiricist method of opinion setting, hypothesis does not matter (Earlymoderntexts 1). It does not matter if an individual gets to know the truth through fair means or foul play according to this method.
Since belief is measured through actions of individuals, anybody who forbids people to believe religion is true also forbids people to act as they should do. Action is the main defense of religious faith. If action required by religious hypothesis is not different from other hypothesis, the faith is pure in the minds of individuals. Hypothesis, truth and belief give the world expressions determined by individual actions that make them pure.
It is crucial that every belief must be thoroughly explored and justified to avoid any future repercussions. Clifford provides two examples in which, regardless of the outcome, the party that creates a belief without comprehensive justification ends up at fault. It is possible to apply the situations in The Ethics of Belief to any cases of belief and end up with the conclusion that justification is of utmost importance. Justifying beliefs is so important because even the smallest beliefs affect others in the community, add to the global belief system, and alter the believer moral compass in future decisions.
The first being whether a hypothesis is live or dead, a live hypothesis is one that could be considered, and a dead one being one that would not be considered. A dead hypothesis could be that it’s raining chocolate bars, a live one could be that it is raining normally. The second one is if a belief is forced or avoidable. If you were told to jump or sit, it would be an avoidable one as you could decline to do either. If you were told to jump, then it would be a forced decision as you would either jump or not jump, which is the alternative to it. The last instance is when it is momentous, which means it is of great importance or significance, especially in its bearing on the future. A momentous instance could be that if you were called up and told that you were offered an all-expense paid trip to Europe, and have to accept
Many times in life, people get put into situations in which they have to make some kind of solution to a problem that they are faced with. One example of this is when I was faced with the choice to either call the police or not when I spotted shoplifting in Washington D.C. just the other day. I was just standing there, when I noticed two women scooping stuff into their giant purses and then they ran out of a store. I was in so much shock that I couldn’t say anything; although after the incident happened, I had the choice of either calling the police or not. In relation, there are two texts in this section that deal with people that have to make a choice on making a solution to a problem. In the text, Shooting an Elephant, by George Orwell, the speaker is faced with the decision to shoot and kill a rampaging elephant. In the text, No Witchcraft for Sale, by Doris Lessing, the character Gideon is faced with the decision on whether to give the white scientists his medicinal theories that saved a boy from going blind. In both of the texts, Shooting an Elephant, and No Witchcraft for Sale, the solutions are either good or bad.
a dilemma is taking place due to its content. Based on moral obligations, the action to coming to
To overcome this difficulty, Hick attempts to explain four critical factors: (1) people are inherently religious; (2) there is substantia...
Religion plays an important factor in belief, but most of all in way of life. Religion highly
evidence". James held the belief that it 's more important to accomplish truth than to avoid error a
beliefs using logic and science. If you do, there is no way to prove the
Lastly, religion shows evidence of absolute truth. All religions of the world give meaning and definition to life. Religion was made from mankind’s desire to want more than existence. Through religion, humans hope to get closer to God by asking for forgiveness and asking challenging questions. God who is the “Creator” becomes the standard for absolute truth.
Those who have belief were taught it or learn in a formal setting. It can be changed, altered or
1) In this paper I argue that Corliss Lamont’s argument for freedom of choice is false because three of his eight arguments against the Determinist illusion argument are the same. These three arguments creates one actual argument, I will call them the master argument. Lamont also never provides the full Determinist explanation on the idea that the perception to choose is an illusion. This falsifies his argument and makes it fail as a whole because he is not giving the Determinist illusion argument proper justice.
Making choices are based on different outcomes and scenarios that would affect people’s lives. Choices could be based on morals or personal views also. People in politics have to make choices every single day, trying to decide on difficult circumstances and daily problems not only based on their views but based on every citizen in the country. A current complication on decision making in politics is on the topic of abortion and the rights women have. There are many controversies on this sensitive topic with people opposing it and others for it. Either way, the way people decide upon their choice is based on their views and the outcomes from making the choice they make.
'The choice between them depends not on which one is right, but what we wish to know'
We value a person's believing and deciding rationally in a way that is responsive to the net balance of reasons, and we think that is good and admirable in itself, perhaps because so deciding and believing uses our high and intricate capacities and expresses them, or perhaps because that embodies an admirable and principled integrity in guiding beliefs and actions by reasons, not by the whims or desires of the moment. (Nozick 1993: 136)
Today, faith is the cornerstone of all major religious knowledge claims because there is no definitive way of...