Clifford's "The Ethics Of Belief"

Question 1

Cliffords maxim

Answer 1

“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe something upon insufficient evidence.”

Question 2

Analysis of the first shipowner case

Answer 2

“The shipowner was guilty for the deaths, he had no right to believe such evidence was before him and never investigated his suspicions.”

Question 3

Analysis of the second shipowner case

Answer 3

“The fact that the ship made it safely does not changebthe belief that the shipowner held.”

Question 4

Clifford’s main worry when it comes to believing upon insufficient evidence

Answer 4

Clifford feared that people would become passive believers of beliefs… i.e no longer inquiring into the truths of the world

Question 5

What role does truth and falsity of a given belief play in Clifford’s analysis of its justification?

Answer 5

There should be no doubt toward which the belief is accepted.

Question 6

Does Clifford’s concern pertain to the content or origin of our beliefs

Answer 6

The origin, this allows one to judge whether there was originally sufficient evidence to believe

Question 7

What does Clifford advise us to do when there is evidence on both sides of an issue?

Answer 7

Clifford fears credulity, wait for concrete evidence on a side or find your own

Question 8

Credulity

Answer 8

the tendency to be too ready to believe something that is apparently “real” and “true”

Question 9

How does Clifford evaluate testimony?

Answer 9

For testimony to be reliable, we must first be able to trust the speaker’s:
1. veracity
2. knowledge
3. judgement

Question 10

Potential objections to Clifford’s maxim…

Answer 10

-There may be a subjective element to belief
-Logic is not the only thing we base our beliefs on