In Clifford’s writings, The Ethics of Belief, he claims an overall thesis that a belief is not valid unless supported by some sort of sufficient evidence. Clifford makes it clear that people do not have the right to believe something if the evidence eludes them. throughout the essay he says that they had no right to believe on such evidence as was before them” while referring to two different stories within the text. Clifford also states that .To sum up it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence. He argues that “it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” Clifford states that the question of right or wrong has to do with the origin of the ship owner‘s belief, not the matter of it not what it was, but how he got it; not whether it turned out to be true or false, but whether he had a right to believe on such evidence as was before him. Clifford therefore takes the position that it is unethical to accept as true any belief which has not been objectively verified, and in doing so he directly contradicts his own epistemological and moral arguments. The central point of Clifford‘s philosophy, that it is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.
W/C:226
Adrian Leyva 