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    A hypothesis that is part of a genuine option and is inte... — Carmelics
    Home/Skepticism
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    A hypothesis that is part of a genuine option and is intellectually open may be believed even in the absence of sufficient evidence

    SkepticismTruth & Knowledge
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    1 reason for
    2 reasons against

    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
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    • 1.James's Will to Believe argument holds that any hypothesis forming part of a genuine option may be believed without sufficient evidence
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    • 2.The hypothesis must be intellectually open
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    • 3.No rule of morality or rationality is violated by accepting a genuine and open hypothesis
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    Reasons Against

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    Reason against 1 of 2
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    • 1.W.K. Clifford argued that believing without sufficient evidence weakens one's capacity for critical evaluation, corrupting epistemic habits over time.
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    • 2.A principle permitting belief beyond evidence, if universalized, licenses mutually contradictory religious and metaphysical commitments simultaneously.
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    • 3.The social harm from normalized under-evidenced belief extends beyond the individual believer, violating duties Clifford grounds in epistemic ethics.
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    Reason against 2 of 2
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    • 1.James's 'genuine option' criterion is itself underdetermined: reasonable agents systematically disagree about which options are truly forced and momentous.
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    • 2.If the classification of an option as 'genuine' is itself contested, James's framework provides no neutral procedure to resolve first-order disputes about when the will to believe applies.
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    Moral Responsibility1 linked

    Related

    A principle permitting belief beyond evidence, if universalized, licenses mutual...If the classification of an option as 'genuine' is itself contested, James's fra...James's 'genuine option' criterion is itself underdetermined: reasonable agents ...James's Will to Believe argument holds that any hypothesis forming part of a gen...
    +4 moreShow less
    No rule of morality or rationality is violated by accepting a genuine and open h...The hypothesis must be intellectually openThe social harm from normalized under-evidenced belief extends beyond the indivi...W.K. Clifford argued that believing without sufficient evidence weakens one's ca...

    Similar

    James's Will to Believe argument holds that any hypothesis forming par...86%The hypothesis must be intellectually open86%James's argument requires only that the lack of adequate evidence is s...85%An option is intellectually open when evidence is indeterminate (conti...82%

    Source

    AI-extracted1/3 agreementValid
    SEP: pragmatic-belief-god
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    Now consider James’s Will to Believe argument. As we saw, James’s contention is that any hypothesis that’s part of a genuine option, and that’s intellectually open, may be believed, even in the absence of sufficient evidence. No rule of morality or rationality, James argues, is violated if one accepts a hypothesis that’s genuine and open. If James is correct, then (E) should be replaced with:
    Extraction notes

    Validity: Extracted via Max plan + API grounding/validity checks

    Details

    Type
    claim
    Perspectives
    3 (1 for, 2 against)
    Edits
    1 edit