A boat owner sent out
a ship knowing that it possibly had major structural damage. This ship owner
convinced himself that the ship was sea worthy due to it not ever failing
before. But he had acquired his belief not by honestly earning it in a patient
investigation, but by stifling his doubts. Even though in the end he was positive
about his ship’s ability, he intentionally worked himself into this frame of
mind willingly. As a result of his action, he must be held responsible for it.
When an action is done it is absolute and unrevisable. Right or wrong forever.
The question of right or wrong has to do with the origin of his beliefs, not just
the content of it. Meaning if in the beginning his actions and thoughts were
unjust and these thoughts were ignored then all thoughts from thereafter are
also so.
In another case Clifford
presents a scenario in which a community of people is individually attacked in
an attempt to destroy their community. This was a religious community which was
misunderstood, and individuals were singled out to attack in an attempt to destroy
the religion. However the information the action was based on was unjust and
the individuals were proven to be innocent. The information the investigators
gathered was easily accessible. Even though the accusers believed what they
were doing was just, they had no right to follow with their actions, seeing as
they had not done their homework, as many of you who skipped this reading. Their
sincere conviction was obtained by prejudicial beliefs, not beliefs that take
time to research and develop. Again whether they were right or wrong they
entered into a situation without the proper development of their beliefs.
One cannot hold a
strong argument on one side of a question without exploring and researching the
opposing or conflicting views or thoughts. Our thoughts are the byproduct of
our lives, nature vs. nurture essentially. To hold a belief without the proper nourishment
or to develop a belief while suppressing thought and ideas is ethically unmoral.
However it is natural to be so, the saying ignorance is bliss comes to mind.
Naturally power is the most satisfying feeling, to hold a belief in which we
believe to be correct and true is powerful. However we are called to
investigate these beliefs further and complete a fullness of knowledge to be
ethically correct. To not investigate and try to further out knowledge
essentially is destructive to us and others. Further we should try not to do
evil, for then we break society. “Thus it is wrong always, everywhere and for
anyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.“
“It is by experience
that we find authority to base our views and beliefs. But it is also impossible;
we must accept some to be evidently true.” These long standing postulates enable
us to ask the question for which we can then discern and find meaning through
experimentation in which we conclude truths. We must approach these topics of
the unknown using the scientific method. We may believe what
goes beyond our experience, only when it is inferred from that experience by
the assumption that what we do not know is like or similar to what we do know. Using
this process we can examine deeper questions of metaphysics, God, the afterlife,
and morality. We may believe the statement of another person, when there is reasonable
ground for supposing that he knows the matter of which he speaks, and that he
is speaking the truth so far as he knows it. It is wrong in all cases then to
believe on insufficient evidence.
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