Homework 3 (Due 5/18 by 5:00 PM)

Part 1
Answer the following questions.
The first part of the question is usually simple to answer, probably with a “yes, no, I’m not sure.”
The second part of the question is the important one. The “How have you come to believe this?” part. The area of philosophy we are exploring a little here is called epistemology. That just means “study of knowledge.” In simple terms, “how do you know what you know?” or “why do you believe what you believe?” In answering the second part, don’t focus on defending your answers or even giving reasons for them. That will be completely useless at this stage of the semester. Instead, ask yourself what caused you to develop that belief. Don’t try to give a “right” answer, just think about HOW you came to have the belief you have. Think of this as doing a sort of autobiography of your own beliefs and telling the history of how you acquired each one.
Hint: I contend that there are five fairly distinct ways or methods we use for developing beliefs. In thinking about the following questions, see if you can figure out what they are.

Example answer for number 1: “Yes. I watched the impeachment trials on television and read several newspaper accounts and listened to the radio and talked with friends. After that I reasoned that he had committed perjury.”

1. Do you think President Clinton committed perjury? How have you come to believe this?
2. Do your parents love you? How have you come to believe this?
3. Is your university/college a good school? How have you come to believe this?
4. Is going to college a good first step to success in America? How have you come to believe this?
5. Is “Friends” a good television show? How have you come to believe this?
6. Is America the best country in the world? How have you come to believe this?
7. Is the Bible a good thing for children to study? How have you come to believe this?
8. Does Santa Claus exist? How have you come to believe this?
9. Does God exist? How have you come to believe this?
10. Is Harrison Ford a nice guy? How have you come to believe this?
11. Should you put your hand on a red stove burner? How have you come to believe this?
12. Can a judge override an objection in a trial? How have you come to believe this?
13. Can your best friend be trusted with a secret? How have you come to believe this?
14. Is green a good color? How have you come to believe this?
15. Does 2 + 2 =5? How have you come to believe this?
16. Is America the best country in the world? How have you come to believe this?
17. Is democracy the best form of government? How have you come to believe this?
18. Will you be able to graduate and be successful in life? How have you come to believe this?
19. Will you make a good spouse/parent? How have you come to believe this?
20. Is there life on other planets in the universe? How have you come to believe this?

Part 2
I want you to read the four paragraphs below and think about what they each have to say about the world in which we live and the concept of truth. Write down your thoughts about the merits or shortcomings of each view. I am using this to get you thinking about the different views people have about the world in which we live. You may agree with one, like a bit of each of them, or you may find one or more particularly annoying. These four statements pretty well define the four major different ways people look at our world. Some of you will feel very comfortable discussing these ideas, and some of you will feel a little lost. Just do your best.

A. There is no such thing as the truth, nor is there any one particular supreme method for defining what is true. Any picture of the world and truth is just a creation of a society of people who have developed and evolved together over time. One complete perspective on the world is just as valid as any other, and there is no way of judging between them which is best. The only real error is to believe without question that your own set of ideas is the true picture of the world or to put too much confidence in any one method of arriving at the truth. We should constantly be aware of the truth contained in and defined by each community of people’s view of their world.

B. The world is a rational place. The only reason for believing something is the extent to which we can defend that belief with logic and argument. That which cannot be proven by reason and defended with argument should be discarded as an error. It is better to be cautious and believe less than to be too eager and believe what is false. The only thing which we put our faith in is the method for determining truth. If we merely think about something long enough and discuss it we will all arrive at the true answer.

C. Truth is whatever works the best. If something cannot be touched, tasted, or prodded with a stick, then it’s not worth talking about. Of course, some beliefs which themselves cannot be proven nonetheless have very important consequences in the behavior of the people who hold them. But it is these actions and their results which judge the truth of the beliefs. People waste a lot of time and create a lot of useless arguments over things which we just can’t know in this life. Science is the best way to test a theory.

D. The truth is just out there. It simply exists and we encounter it on a daily basis. If we can explain why the world should be as it is, that is nice, but not necessary. The truth does not need reason or proof to stand as it is. In fact, if logic and reason disagrees with what we know to be true, that should not make us doubt our belief in the truth. Rather, we should begin to doubt the value of our method of reasoning. What we know to be true is the most important thing. How we try to justify that knowledge to others and ourselves is of only secondary importance. Argument is only a way of reaching agreement, not truth.