In 7.6 you read a selection from Pascal’s “The Wager”, in which he gives an argument for the claim that it is rational to believe in God even if we do not have evidence that God exists. (a) Explain Pascal’s argument and then (b) explain an objection to Pascal’s argument.
In 7.6, you read a selection from W.K. Clifford’s article “Ethics of Belief”. Clifford believes that thinking critically about our beliefs is not simply an effective practice–he contends that it is our moral responsibility. He says, “But if the belief has been accepted on insufficient evidence, the pleasure [of the belief] is a stolen one…because it is stolen in defiance of our duty to mankind”. Explain why Clifford thinks it is our duty to mankind to form beliefs only on sufficient evidence. In answering this question, you will need to explain what Clifford argues happens when people believe without evidence.
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