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This 6 page paper discusses the philosophical position of Clifford and James as pertains to ethics, knowledge, and morality. Bibliography lists 1 source.
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is not rationally supported by verifiable evidence. And, are moral beliefs justifiable as statements of truth, or are they merely an extension of subconscious and conscious desires? In the end,
W.K. Clifford in his The Ethics of Belief asked the more pertinent question: Are moral beliefs themselves rationally justified, or does a rational examination of their psychological and social
origins tend to undermine our commitment to them? Clifford, after his analogy of the ship builder, states that it is "wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon
insufficient evidence"(Clifford 113). In other words, what someone believes should not be based on emotional input, alone, but on what one "KNOWS" to be certain. This is a problem for
mankind, he seems to be saying, because at his most basic, mankind seeks self-gratification. Many times the truth is neither pleasing nor pleasurable and a person would just as soon
believe in something that was more flattering or comfortable. This is the temptation of mans morality and belief system as Clifford points out. Therefore, to be more than a
base individual, these proclivities to believe only that which makes us happy have to be overridden and suppressed. From this ability rises true courage, integrity, and truth is exposed. And,
the only way to arrive at this point, he seems to be saying, is to carefully examine anything that one believes with the yardstick of evidence. Can it be proven?
Is what is believed able to be verified with the facts? If, then, the facts support the hypothesis, or the belief, then one is justified in believing it.
To sincerely believe in something is not enough, Clifford states. This is exampled in the story of the ship owner who talked himself into believing wholeheartedly that the ship would
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