[(The Ethics of Belief)] [By (author) A J Burger ] published on (August, 2008) Paperback – 12 Aug. 2008

Good content, enjoyable and informative to read, but print quality is so so, and in an inexplicably, unnecessarily large font.

“The Ethics of Belief”I’m always amazed at writing that boils away all the fluff and circumstance and leaves a pure idea on the page for consideration. William Clifford does this with "The Ethics of Belief."The essay covers the structures of valid beliefs. Evidence, of course, is a part, but other elements of more nuanced (but still valid) beliefs are covered. For those that value the truth and pride themselves in holding valid beliefs, you will find this essay to be a confirmation of a fundamental part of life.The foundation of Clifford’s essay is that beliefs shape society and guide our collective future. Valid beliefs are essential to advancing society in a positive way. Invalid beliefs lead to societal chaos where no foundation in truth exists and thus, no certain path out of chaos can be found. To this end, every societal participant has an ethical duty to the truth and to the formation of valid beliefs. To do otherwise is simply wrong.It’s not surprising how relevant this essay is to present-day American society. Life today is littered with lies and untruths that are put forth on a daily basis by our elected leader and representatives. Moreover, there are countless numbers within our society who believe these falsehoods even though they readily fail to meet the most basic of evidentiary tests.These acts of unscrupulous persuasion and unscrupulous belief wreak havoc on society as well as on those individuals that consider a society based on truth to be of paramount importance. America is a nation that was created during the "Age of Reason" and it was founded upon a collection of constitutional principles that depended entirely upon decisions and actions based on valid beliefs. Those that unethically act upon these principles assault the fundamental constructs of America and are therefore anti-American in a most fundamental way.---"The Will to Believe"The book continues with a second essay entitled "The Will to Believe" by William James, which is offered as a rebuttal to Clifford’s "The Ethics of Belief." This second essay attempts to say that beliefs are a natural part of being human and that we all hold beliefs that are never tested in a manner required by Clifford. James also claims that there are some beliefs that cannot be obtained through reasoning and that the truth can never be absolutely known. Therefore, we are correct to act upon our unfounded beliefs because doing so is simply human.With these assertions made, James proceeds to misrepresent Clifford as a sort of rigid logic fanatic. Indicating that no real spiritual human can operate in accordance with Clifford’s ridgid requirements. James asserts that Clifford requires us to hold and act upon only those beliefs that are absolutely proven to be true. This assertion is a classic straw man argument and it’s also an appeal to extremes.In fact, the points that James uses to refute Clifford are actually acknowledged by Clifford. Clifford gives pardon to beliefs that we hold but never test provided that we do not act upon such beliefs: <i>”No belief is real unless it guide our actions.”</i> As an example, I may believe that airplanes can fly, but I wouldn’t attempt to build (or fly) an airplane without proving to myself that my belief is true.Clifford also indicates that acts based on beliefs that are not fully proven may be ethically undertaken based on reasoned probabilities provided that evidence towards the truth continues to be evaluated after the action is taken: <i>”There are many cases in which it is our duty to act upon probabilities, although the evidence is not such as to justify present belief; because it is precisely by such action, and by observation of its fruits, that evidence is got which may justify future belief.”</i> In other words, be open to to changing your mind should the evidence resulting from a present act require such a change in the future.By the end of the essay, James is convincing against the positions that he portrays Clifford to hold. In doing so, James’ rebuttal argument becomes an argument in favor of Clifford. Had James put forth the effort to evaluate Clifford’s true positions on beliefs, James may have found that acting on his own beliefs of Clifford’s positions was a somewhat unethical thing to do.

I liked this book for the insights into coherent thinking given by a 19th century philosopher who demanded that any claim be accompanied by solid evidence.

A fantastic classic of epistemology (theory of rationality). Even though it is used mostly in Philosophy of Religion, it is applicable everywhere.

Very satisfied.