Phil 103 midterm

Rational vs Logical Belief

Logical belief = internally consistent reasoning; Rational belief = based on good evidence. A belief can be logical without being rational (if it’s well reasoned but from false or unsupported assumptions). A truly rational belief must also be logical and justified. Example: believing the government hides secrets may be logical but irrational without proof.

Clifford’s Position on Rational Belief

Clifford argues it’s always wrong to believe without sufficient evidence. Rational belief requires evidence because beliefs shape actions and can cause harm if false. Example: the shipowner lets a ship sail without checking safety — irrational and morally wrong.

Descartes’s Argument for Skepticism

Descartes doubts everything that can be doubted to find certainty. He notes that senses deceive, dreams feel real, and an evil demon could trick him. The only indubitable truth: “I think, therefore I am.” Skepticism clears the way to rebuild knowledge on certain truths.

Descartes vs Hume on the Self

Descartes: the self is certain — thinking proves existence (Cogito ergo sum). Hume: the self is just a “bundle of perceptions” — no fixed self exists, only experiences. Descartes = rationalist; Hume = empiricist.

Role of God in Descartes’s Meditations

Descartes uses God to escape doubt. The idea of a perfect being must come from a perfect cause, so God exists. Because God is no deceiver, we can trust clear and distinct ideas. God guarantees truth and knowledge.

Aquinas’s First Way (Argument from Motion)

Everything in motion is moved by something else; nothing moves itself. An infinite chain of movers is impossible, so there must be a first unmoved mover — God. Motion requires a cause, making this argument plausible.

White’s Fine-Tuning Argument

The universe’s physical constants are finely tuned for life. The odds of this happening by chance are tiny, so design (God) is a better explanation. The design hypothesis makes the universe’s conditions more probable than pure luck.

Antony’s Argument for the Non-Existence of God

Antony argues that naturalism explains the world without invoking God. The existence of evil challenges belief in a perfect being, and morality doesn’t require religion. Strength: evidence-based and simple. Weakness: doesn’t explain consciousness or ultimate origins.

Stump’s Theodicy (Problem of Evil)

Stump says evil can coexist with God if suffering leads to moral or spiritual growth. God allows suffering for the sake of the soul’s union with Him. Strength: gives purpose to evil; Weakness: doesn’t fully explain extreme or pointless suffering.