Section 6.3Faith and Meaning

Believing the Unbelievable

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6.3-2

The Leap of Faith

“Faith,” by definition, is “belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.”

Kierkegaard argues that belief in the Christian God must be a matter of faith because the notion of an immortal being becoming mortal is absurd.

6.3-3

Kierkegaard on Belief

Kierkegaard claims that you can make something objectively true by believing it passionately enough.

Objection: This is self-contradictory—a proposition and its negation could be believed passionately by different people, but both propositions couldn’t be true.

6.3-4

Kierkegaard and Russell on Belief

Kierkegaard: “Whoever is neither hot nor cold [who doesn’t believe passionately] is nauseating.”

Russell: “There is something feeble, and a little contemptible, about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths.”

6.3-5

Evidentialism

Only beliefs based on evidence can be justified.

Some claim that you have a moral obligation to proportion your belief to the evidence.

6.3-6

Clifford and Huxley on Belief

“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything on insufficient evidence.” –W. K. Clifford

“It is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty.” –T. H. Huxley

6.3-7

Thought Probe: Blanshard’s Beliefs Are Blanshard and Clifford correct in claiming

that we have a duty to proportion our beliefs to the evidence?

Can you think of a counterexample, a case where it would not be right to proportion your belief to the evidence?

Should people who don’t proportion their belief to the evidence be ashamed of themselves? Why or why not?

6.3-8

James on the Will to Believe

When a belief can be decided on intellectual grounds, it’s wrong to believe on faith.

When a belief is a genuine option, and when believing it to be true can make it true, it’s permissible to believe on faith. For example: By having faith

that someone likes you, they may come to like you.

6.3-9

Problems with the Will to Believe

Beliefs don’t bring about changes in others, actions do.

The knowledge that acting as if we like someone can help make them like us is based on evidence.

Believing in God can’t help bring about the existence of God.

6.3-10

James on the Affirmations of Religion

First: religion says that the best things are the eternal things. “Perfection is eternal.”

Second: religion says that we are better off if we accept the first affirmation.

James claims that accepting the first affirmation will help us have a more personal relationship to the universe.

6.3-11

Thought Probe: James and Pandeism

Pandeism, like pantheism, claims that the universe is God.

Unlike pantheism, however, it claims that the universe is a person.

James claims that viewing the universe as a person would help give meaning to your life.

Do you agree? Why or why not?

6.3-12

The Meaning of Life

Some believe that our lives can be meaningful if and only if they are part of a divine plan.

6.3-13

Thought Experiment: God’s Plan Suppose that God

created us to serve as food for some more advanced creatures.

Would it make our lives meaningful to be eaten by those creatures?

6.3-14

Thought Probe: Meaning and Morality

It’s wrong to use people merely as a means to an end because that violates their fundamental right to self-determination.

If God created us for a purpose, it would seem that he is using us merely as a means to an end.

Is it immoral for God to create people in order to achieve a particular purpose?

6.3-15

Existentialism

According to Existentialism, “existence precedes essence.” Humans exist prior to and independently of any notion of who they are or what they should do.

Humans define themselves and create their own meaning by making choices.

6.3-16

Sartre on the Human Condition

Abandonment: no one can make our choices for us.

Aguish: we have to choose.

Despair: we have to live with the consequences of our choices.

6.3-17

Barnes on the Human Condition

“No humanistic existentialist will allow that the only alternative is despair and irresponsibility.”

“The individual life may have an intrinsic value…whether the universe knows what it’s doing or not.”

6.3-18

Thought Probe: Meaning and Purpose

Some believe that their life can be meaningful only if they were created for a certain purpose.

Others believe that meaning can only come from within, that it can’t be imposed from without.

Which do you believe?

6.3-19

Religion Without God

Those who have a religious orientation toward life share four characteristics: A sense of the numinous. Deep feelings of love, joy, and peace. A distaste of vanity and greed. A desire to help others.

One need not believe in God to have these characteristics.