Philosophy Midterm Notes Essay examples

The argument presented by William James in “The Will to Believe” covers theistic beliefs and also includes various philosophical issues as well as matters of practical life. James's primary concern is to argue that Clifford's Rule is irrational. According to Clifford's Rule, one should avoid error at all costs and ultimately risk the loss of certain truths. James claims that Clifford's Rule is just one intellectual strategy and then makes an argument to seek truth by any means available, even at the risk of error or being completely false. James is not arguing against conforming one's belief to the evidence. Nor is he arguing against the importance of evidence. His argument is against withholding beliefs whenever there is little evidence,

I work for the City Health Care Partnership within the Primary Care Medical Services, I work for 4 different GP practices as the Data Quality Manager but main base been at Kingston Medical Centre in the Central appointments team, at Kingston Medical Centre we have 4 full time GP’s, 3 Nurses, 2 Health Care Assistants, 7 Receptionists, 2 Admin members based in the Central appointments

Pascal said that we can't know certain truth, but reason is the best source of

Which of the two banks or credit unions that you researched would you be most likely to choose to open an account with? Why? (2-4 sentences. 2.5 points)

perfection, and therefore, if he were not to exist, there would have to be a higher form of

A critique of Descartes comes from the philosopher David Hume who argued against the

The company is in direct violation of the ADEA of 1967 which states (2)“certain applicant and employees who are 40 years of age and older are protected from discrimination on the basis of age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, or terms, conditions or privileges of employment.” In this case the 68 year old employee could sue the company based on Age Discrimination and win.

exists and his idea of what a perfect being is, such as God, then God exists.

James(1897) argues that certain actions and convictions need pre-existing beliefs which do not require sufficient evidence. He uses Pascal’s Wager as an example – James (1897) argues Pascal’s Wager may force individuals in choosing to either believe in God or not, regardless of there being sufficient evidence to prove the existence of the former or latter. However, James (1897) argues that different propositions

In Chapter 2 of Anselm's Proslogian, Anselm offers what was later to be characterized as his Ontological Argument, which is an argument for God's existence he felt was so strong that even a fool as is said in Psalms 14:1- "who has said in his heart, 'There is no God'". Anselm's argument is as follows :

In his lecture, “The Will to Believe,” William James addresses how one adopts a belief. There is a hypothesis and an option, where you choose between two live hypotheses. An option has the characteristics to be live or dead, forced or avoidable, and momentous or trivial. In his thesis, James argues how “our passional nature” must make our decisions about our beliefs when they cannot be certainly determined on “intellectual grounds,” however, this is not the case, we can always make the decision based on intellectual grounds. One can use Bayesian probability to gain some grasp of the situation and eventually to make a decision.

His first premise is that a thing that can be thought to exist is greater than a thing that can be thought to not exist. So according to Anselm, things that go in and out of existence are lesser than things that are always existing. His second premise is that God is the greatest thing to exist. Finally his third premise is that if something is thought to not exist it is not truly the greatest thing to

Since the 19th century, William Clifford and William James have been the foremost religious theorist and have attempted to answer significant creation and theological mysteries. However, Clifford and James have varying views on the belief debate, each formulating a rational argument of what the basis for belief should be. Clifford’s, Ethics of Belief and James’ The Will to Believe outline their respective arguments which are vastly similar and but have marked differences. Both articles will be examined for these similarities and difference and stated within this paper.

Pascal’s Wager was a groundbreaking theory posed by the French philosopher, mathematician, and physicist Blaise Pascal. Pascal, who is said to be the father of modern probability, felt that that religion should be approached as a gamble. It was one of the first efforts to incorporate the concept of infinity. The wager stated that, even though the existence of God cannot be determined through reason, one should wager as though God exists, because living accordingly, has essentially nothing to lose and experiences can only be beneficial. Pascal’s Wager consists of three arguments. The first is the argument from super dominance. Pascal wrote: “God is, or He is not. But to which side shall we

I will continue to defend Pascal’s argue that if you look at the bigger picture, it’s better to believe in God than it is not to believe. Pascal wanted us to make a choice.