Absolute Truth and Personal Belief

It is said that man, to survive, has always needed something or some belief to hold on; be it science, religion or magic. Man without a belief lacks hope (Walker, 1997). Lack of hope makes a man vulnerable to unforeseen circumstances. To avoid this vulnerability man has been holding onto different belief systems.

For Jefferson, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. “The defense argued that Jefferson was innocent of all charges except being at the wrong place at the wrong time.” (Gaines, 7). For Jesus, Pontius Pilate asks the crowd he and Jesus were in front of, what they wanted to happen with him. “Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him.” (Luke 23:22). In a way Pilate seems to be defending Jesus like the defendant in Jefferson’s trial, trying to see what the jury wants to happen, also trying to bail him out; “Though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:9) “But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:41). “The fact that Mr. Gropé shot only Brother and Bear was proof of Jefferson’s innocence.” (Gaines, 7). Both Jesus and Jefferson were recognized as innocent by some and yet still received a death sentence. In the Old Testament, it was prophesized that Jesus would have done nothing wrong but still be convicted, as well as Jefferson was convicted for something he did not do.

Beliefs are the things that we hold dearest to us, believing that they are true and correct. Most of the time though, there’s no proof or evidence to support these beliefs. The biggest belief in many

The topic of knowledge and belief has been a subject of investigation and a primary field in philosophical research for centuries. Whether it was Aristotle or Descartes, multiple ideas on knowledge and belief arise, such as the epistemological theories of foundationalism or coherentism, which provide philosophical explanations to this debate. For the sake of this essay, and in my own opinion, knowledge should be distinguished from belief. Everyone is subject to different types of beliefs based on upbringing, however knowledge of basic items is universal, therefore it immediately becomes apparent that there is a clear distinction between the two concepts.

My foundation/framework advocates that there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6), hence, my choices and decisions are made by consulting him for guidance (Proverbs 3:5). Therefore, I believe that there is no other way to truth, and relying on one’s own belief system based on fallible understanding and wavering emotions makes for a weak foundation built on fear and selfishness and not true absolute values. When meaningful life decisions are made based on the circumstances (ethical relativism) these decisions will always be subject to the environment around them and instability will manifest in multiple ways (James

Consider how the effect of a new perspective has been reflected and developed in a literary text or texts you have studied. Discuss the ideas developed by the text creator about the effect an individual’s perspective has on personal beliefs.

Pontius Pilate, as Roman Governor, had a position to fulfill to the Roman population along with the Jewish community. During a time of Jewish Passover, along with the chaos Jesus had created, Pilate was under great influence from many outside factors. “The stir created by Jesus' preaching and the size of his following perturbed both the Roman and the Jewish authorities, fearful of any wind that might fan the smoldering discontent in Palestine into a raging flame of revolt.” (Hexter 62) In the Roman trial, Pilate was chosen to judge Jesus on the act of sedition, however counter to Hexter's perspective, repeatedly stated that he saw no case against him. In the Gospel of John, it is apparent that Pilate not only doesn't want to be involved but is puzzled at the situation at hand. “Your own nation and the chief of priests have handed you over to me; what have you done?” (John 18:33) Pilate is attempting to keep order in his city and rather not involve

We as humans have our own beliefs no matter how inaccurate they may be. We do not use intellectual standards in the way we think, because we are self-centered which makes it hard for us to determine what to believe in or reject (Paul, Elder, Gunther, Chartrand, Emery, Hall & Maketa, 2012).

• Belief: Belief is someone whose beliefs are a big part of their life and helps guide their purpose in life.

Inasmuch, no one would know what to believe because of the confusion of so many definitions. I believe that this matter may be classified as subjectivity and objectivity. Subjectivity is based upon an opinion, however, objectivity is based upon the essence of right and wrong. Therefore, the best way to define is the basis of what is right. The determination of what is right is upon plurals of belief. Meaning, if multiple people vouch to something being true, more than likely it is worthy of trust due to

One consistency in both texts of the Meno (Meno 99c) and Republic (Republic 472d) is that people who use true belief cannot show or explain how their belief is the truth. I believe this is one of the largest distinctions between knowledge and true belief. Knowledge is

Truth can be seen as objective or subjective by people. By definition, objective truth is a truth that is the same for everyone no matter what. Our beliefs, whatever they are, have no bearing on the facts of the world around us. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that truth is likely to be considered objective. Truth of a matter is not dependant on someone's beliefs.

This section provides us with two selections from the essays of William K. Clifford (1845-1879) and William James (1842-1910). Clifford's essay, The Ethics of Belief, is based on the concept of evidentialism. This concept 'holds that we should not accept any statement as true unless we have good evidence to support its truth'; (Voices of Wisdom, 346). James wrote his essay, The Will to Believe, as a response to Clifford's essay where he endorsed a philosophy called pragmatism.

There really can be no absolute truth then because the truth hinges solely on who presents a better argument.

Although many cannot articulate their reasons for believing in the existence of God, their faith is nonetheless definite