Question Presented Will James Whitten be successful in claiming the affirmative defense of necessity in driving under a suspended license? Brief Answer Probably yes. In Garner, a person driving under a suspended license may be found not guilty under the affirmative defense of necessity if he was compelled under threat of imminent death or harm to self or others, had a sense of urgency concerning the circumstances that made it necessary for him to violate the law, and that he ceased conduct as soon as the threat subsided.…
Anthony Weston is an American Philosopher, teacher, and writer. He has written a book titled “Practical Companion to Ethics” that does discus Ethics, Religion, and Creative Problem-Solving in Ethics. Weston also discusses constructive moral dialogue. Constructive moral dialogue is concepts and ideas that makes our relationship with others easier. It allows us to get along with others that have different beliefs and concepts.…
In “Reasonable Religious Disagreements,” Richard Feldman posits that two reasonable peers cannot come to a reasonable disagreement. The premise of a “reasonable disagreement” has various conditions, in short being that the peers must be epistemic, and they must have shared all of their evidence pertaining to the argument. By this criteria, it is not plausible for two epistemic peers with access to the same body of evidence to ever reach reasonably different conclusions. However, a problem arises with the previously stated criteria when examining the point regarding full disclosure of evidence. When examining Feldman’s article from this perspective, it is possible that it may not be considered fully viable.…
In the article Virtuous Arguments the author John Duffy argues that Rush Limbaugh and other Republican luminaries use logical fallacies rather than ethical, logical, and honest arguments. John Duffy’s article stresses on the value of teaching students to understand their emotions and communicate with their peers through writing and rhetoric. We have only to look at our leadership to understand how incivility and rudeness have taken such a hold on the American culture. The disrespect paid to each other in the Congress of the United States and the sheer contempt many of those leaders show toward the President and his office are almost palpable which is why I strongly believe that there should be more emphasis on academic writing and rhetoric…
William James’s argument in “The Will to Believe” argues how although religion is not rational, it is sensible. The cause of this discussion was that university students said no free-thinking person should have faith without rationally demonstrating the belief. Religion in this case is defined as having faith in something without sufficient evidence. According to James, having a belief isn’t a choice; people just have them. However, there was a condition to his discussion—we can’t believe in anything we know is false.…
In William James', “The Will to Believe, James provides a defensive response to religious faith regarding W. T. Clifford's position in his essay, "The Ethics of Belief" (James, 2001). Within his stance, James suggests that his views have a somewhat broader scope that Clifford’s (Princeton University, n.d.). Moreover, that in certain cases, it is not only permissible but inevitable that a person’s passional, non-rational nature will determine that person’s belief (Princeton University, n.d.). In summary, James presents that anything that is proposed for our belief is a hypothesis and that any question about which of the two hypotheses to accept is a person’s option (Princeton University, n.d.).…
Clifford and James are two philosophers who have contradicting opinions on whether having sufficient evidence is always necessary to believe in something. Where Clifford believes you cannot believe in anything without sufficient evidence, James believes that if the evidence doesn’t point in one way or another, it is justified to believe something based on our will. I will be arguing that James’ side is indeed correct. In James’ paper, he provides concrete evidence as to why his opinion is correct.…
Social justice movements draw on a legacy of rhetoric that shapes how participants see the world as it is and how it should be. Their work builds on their predecessors to contribute to a literacy – a literacy of struggle. A literacy in this context is a production of rhetorical arguments that create a lasting dialogue that illustrates the consensus employing those that have laid the groundwork for their movement. Rhetoric as the basis of language informs this thinking as drawn from Kenneth Burke’s A Rhetoric of Motives. Burke conceptualizes rhetoric as inherent to identity as humans and that we are rhetorical beings who persuade through language: “For rhetoric as such is not rooted in any past condition of human society.…
In the article Virtuous Arguments the author John Duffy states that Rush Limbaugh and other Republican luminaries engage in fallacious persuasion rather than logical, ethical, and honest arguments. We truly only have to look at our leadership to understand how incivility and rudeness have taken such a hold on the American culture. The disrespect paid to each other in the Congress of the United States and the sheer contempt many of those leaders show toward the President and his office are almost palpable which is why I strongly believe that there should be more emphasis on academic writing and rhetoric in schools. It is easier to shape young minds rather than stubborn adults. The need for debates where candidates are instructed to speak on issues and refrain from making unsubstantiated charges against opponents is a must.…
Roger Williams was a crucial part of the development religious toleration. He had a massive effect on Indians and Massachusetts and all of America. For example, he made America realize that forcing religion down someone's throat is religious rape. He was the most religious hero written about. Though he faded very fast.…
Clifford states that it is always wrong to believe something with insufficient evidence. This quotation helps to demonstrate the view that justifies belief depending upon having good reasons or evidence. His firm belief in evidentialism, which means without certainty and a solid basis of evidence and knowledge of a situation you, should never put fully believe it. Meanwhile reformed epistemology states that you can rationalize the belief of god based upon given evidence. Reformed epistemology use of both faith and minimal evidence to justify their beliefs is not reasonable.…
In Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief,” Clifford argues the immorality of believing without sufficient evidence. In most situations, Clifford’s point of view would be practical; if we wish to be true seekers of the truth, it would be unethical to ever believe in something without sufficient evidence. This is a valid statement, but there are exceptions to this idea which are dependent on the situation. When it comes to the type of evidence presented, a belief can be justified or found to be wrong. Clifford sets two questions we are to ask ourselves when it comes to believing things that aren’t proven with physical evidence, rather shown by testimony.…
The Influence that Moralistic Therapeutic Deism has had on my Worldview and my Response to that Influence. Before this course began, I had never heard of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Now that we have studied it in depth, I believe that it is a spiritually unhealthy habit, yet we all have it to some extent. I have always seen God as kind of a Therapist in the weird sense that he will always listen to me gripe and will never complain. The morality part is clearly addressed in the Bible multiple times.…
“ What to say to a man who tells you he prefers to obey God than to obey men, and who is consequently sure of entering the gates of Heaven by slitting your throat?” Dr Richard Reilly Wrote an essay published in Philosophy Now, in which he discusses how he approaches the topic of “Questioning God” with his students. Reilly begins with the above quote from Voltaire—not in the published version, only in the copy given to his students—where he captures his main idea in one simple statement. If a man is truly loyal to his idea of God, then a man standing in his way will perish by his “holy” hands. Throughout history humans have made it clear that, because we are social creatures that live in relation to one and other, Religion will always be a…
Final Exam 1. In “A Critique of Utilitarianism”, Bernard Williams argues against the fundamental characteristics of utilitarianism and believes that the notion of ends justifying the means are a way of representing the doctrine of negative responsibility which can lead to consequences from the choices we make/do not make (663). As a result, we are all responsible for the consequences that we fail to prevent as well as the ones we brought upon ourselves. That is, in each case the choice on whether an action is right is determined by its consequences (661). Williams gives the example of killing one villager to save 19 others (664) in which he critiques the different principles of utilitarianism and integrity - the moral righteousness that is…