Category: Belief
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Does Anyone Really Believe in the Muslim Paradise?
I dedicate this post to Peter L. and Mike V. with whom some of the following ideas were hashed out over Sunday breakfast at a Mesa hash house. Sam Harris reports on the curious views of one Scott Atran, anthropologist: According to Atran, people who decapitate journalists, filmmakers, and aid workers to cries of “Alahu akbar!” or…
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The Dogmatist
Craving certainty, but lacking it, he fabricates a substitute, his dogma.
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Believing on Insufficient Evidence
The notion that we should always and everywhere apportion belief to evidence in such a way that we affirm only that for which we have sufficient evidence ignores the fact that belief for beings like us subserves action. If one acted only on those beliefs for which one had sufficient evidence one would not act as one…
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Courage and Content
There are courageous souls who will say publically what others think but are afraid to say. True. But the courageousness of the saying does not underwrite the truth of what is said. Courage does not validate content. Muhammad Atta and the 9/11 terrorists had the courage of their false and murderous convictions. As a corollary,…
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Lent for Atheists?
Apparently, there are some atheists who are adopting Lenten-type practices without abandoning their atheist beliefs. This ought to be cautiously applauded: we all can profit morally from a bit of voluntary abstinence. One cannot live well without (moderate) asceticism. (See William James on Self-Denial.) Better self-controlled atheists than atheists 'gone wild.' But I would urge these…
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Dogmatism as Willfulness
What willfulness is in the sphere of action dogmatism is in the realm of belief.
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Mature Religion is Open-Ended Too: More Quest Than Conclusions
The following is from an interview with A. C. Grayling who is speaking of the open mind and open inquiry: It’s a mindset, he reveals, that “loves the open-endedness and the continuing character of the conversation that humankind has with itself about all these things that really matter.” It’s also a way of thinking that…
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Eben Alexander: “We Are Conscious in Spite of Our Brains”
I am at the moment listening to Dennis Prager interview Dr. Eben Alexander. Prager asked him whether he now maintains, after his paranormal experiences, that consciousness is independent of the brain. Alexander made a striking reply: "We are conscious in spite of our brains." And then he made some remarks to the effect that the brain…
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A Non-Coercive Attempt to Dissuade Me From Religious Belief
MavPhil Cairo correspondent, Spencer C. writes, I've continued to think on one of our old disagreements, the one about religion and zealotry, and I'd like to continue the discussion. Previously, I'd put forward the argument attempting to show that religious belief is rationally unacceptable. Now, I'm thinking it might be profitable to repackage the argument…
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Religious Belief and What Inclines Me to It
This from an English reader: As you may recall, I'm a persistent reader of your blog – even when the 'topic of the day' goes right over my head. On the minimalist version of Pascal's wager, you summarize: "So how can I lose? Even if they are illusions, believing in God and the soul incurs…
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The Pragmatic and the Evidential: Is It Ever Rational to Believe Beyond the Evidence?
Is it ever rational to believe something for which one has insufficient evidence? If it is never rational to believe something for which one has insufficient evidence, then presumably it is also never rational to act upon such a belief. For example, if it irrational to believe in God and post-mortem survival, then presumably it…
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Can Theistic Arguments Deliver More Than Plausibility?
James N. Anderson writes, . . . a good theistic argument doesn’t have to be irrefutable, but surely we should expect the conclusions of our arguments to rise above the level of mere plausibility. If indeed the heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:1), and God’s existence can be “clearly perceived” from the creation…
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Belief Change
The indefatigable Dave Lull, argonaut nonpareil of cyberspace, friend and facilitator of many a blogger, pointed me this morning to Triablogue where there is some commentary here and here of a mainly churlish sort on the recent conversion of Michael Sudduth. Comments like those encountered there reinforce me in my view that comboxes are often…
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The Paradox of the Preface and the Law of Non-Contradiction
Suppose an author exercises due diligence in the researching and writing of a nonfiction book. He has good reason to believe that all of the statements he makes in the book are true. But he is also well aware of human fallibility and that he is no exception to the rule. And so, aware of…
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Dale Tuggy Pays Me a Visit; Belief Versus Acceptance
Dale Tuggy was kind enough yesterday to drive all the way from Tucson to my place in the foothills of the Superstition Mountains. He came on short notice and late in the day but we managed to pack in more than six hours of nonstop conversation on a wide range of philosophical and theological topics. …