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Justification for Foundational Belief
July 25, 2012 at 3:18 pm
The issue of foundational belief has been a tough one for me, to say the least. Avoiding post modernism and radical skepticism isn't a simple chore, as the ticket to doing so for me is to justify the seemingly unjustifiable: foundational beliefs.
Beliefs of this nature are a priori issues and include self evident belief and axioms. Descartes established personal acknowledgement of reality with the cogito, but memory, induction (as dissected by Hume), sense-perception, and interpretation of the meaning of words ( I believe it was Wittgenstein who brought light to this) are all truths that humans intuitively assume and need in order to survive as a mentally and physically healthy individual.
The justification for many foundational beliefs is fairly simple, and I personally subscribe to it. The answer that has bubbled to the surface is, "You are either with me or against me in this world. Functioning in a world you don't believe to be real isn't healthy- some could say deadly or impossible. So I will assume these truths, all the while beings receptive to new information that contradicts these beliefs."
My issue with this is that I feel like I am shifting the burden of proof, waiting to be proven wrong. I had previously thought it to also be special pleading, however foundational belief is in another class from derived belief because it is an a priori issue that takes precedence over all other forms of belief.
That has been my very limited understanding of foundationalism and is what governs my evidentialist beliefs. My question to anyone and everyone is, am I justified?
Am I justified in making an assumption on the part of foundational beliefs?
My conclusion is that there is no reason to believe any of the dogmas of traditional theology and, further, that there is no reason to wish that they were true.
Man, in so far as he is not subject to natural forces, is free to work out his own destiny. The responsibility is his, and so is the opportunity.
-Bertrand Russell
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 12:57 am
Suggestively interesting but I'm not exactly following. I think you've been working this over a while and, not having been along for that process, I think it is a bit compressed. Hope you can say more.
I don't remember seeing this before but you were about to fall of the boards altogether. Lets toss it back up there and see if any of the more philosophically inclined have a response for you.
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 1:39 am
What else should I add?
I'm not sure what I can offer to expound on the question I posed.
My conclusion is that there is no reason to believe any of the dogmas of traditional theology and, further, that there is no reason to wish that they were true.
Man, in so far as he is not subject to natural forces, is free to work out his own destiny. The responsibility is his, and so is the opportunity.
-Bertrand Russell
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 6:02 am
(July 25, 2012 at 3:18 pm)Skepsis Wrote: are all truths that humans intuitively assume and need in order to survive as a mentally and physically healthy individual.
That must be where I'm going wrong then, why I'm nutz. Has questioning anything ever sent anybody round the bend? True people who are less stable tend to question things others don't talk about. I would not think of a human that could not question as being a healthy individual. As such the axioms which are my starting points are not fixed, but are reappraised and set against other axioms which might be more pleasing to me.
A fixed position is a dead position. Without a fixed position your house of cards falls.
So the simple question for you is. . . Do you want to believe more than you want to look for truth?
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 6:25 am
(July 26, 2012 at 6:02 am)jonb Wrote: (July 25, 2012 at 3:18 pm)Skepsis Wrote: are all truths that humans intuitively assume and need in order to survive as a mentally and physically healthy individual.
That must be where I'm going wrong then, why I'm nutz. Has questioning anything ever sent anybody round the bend? True people who are less stable tend to question things others don't talk about. I would not think of a human that could not question as being a healthy individual. As such the axioms which are my starting points are not fixed, but are reappraised and set against other axioms which might be more pleasing to me.
A fixed position is a dead position. Without a fixed position your house of cards falls.
So the simple question for you is. . . Do you want to believe more than you want to look for truth? Truth is my priority, which is why I stated the positions I hold aren't fixed. I am more than receptive to new ideas and proofs that haven't been offered to me before.
With that in mind, I still hold that foundational beliefs such as "I exist" "I have a past" and "my senses are accurate to an extent" are necessary to live in this world. If I didn't believe my senses were accurate or didn't think I had a past I doubt I would fare very well during my short time frame of existence.
My conclusion is that there is no reason to believe any of the dogmas of traditional theology and, further, that there is no reason to wish that they were true.
Man, in so far as he is not subject to natural forces, is free to work out his own destiny. The responsibility is his, and so is the opportunity.
-Bertrand Russell
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 6:32 am
(July 26, 2012 at 6:25 am)Skepsis Wrote: With that in mind, I still hold that foundational beliefs such as "I exist" "I have a past" and "my senses are accurate to an extent" are necessary to live in this world. If I didn't believe my senses were accurate or didn't think I had a past I doubt I would fare very well during my short time frame of existence.
Why?
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 6:37 am
(July 26, 2012 at 6:32 am)jonb Wrote: Why?
It almost seems too obvious to me to point out why not being able to trust your senses makes reality seem unlivable, but I guess that suffices for an explanation in itself. I feel that not being able to trust your senses with a logical basis yet trusting them anyway is similar in many ways to faith, bar the fact that faith typically entails a non-necessary aspect of existence.
I scorn faith in all modes, types, forms, and mediums. I try not to believe what hasn't been proven, and above all try to remain genuine in my search for truth.
My conclusion is that there is no reason to believe any of the dogmas of traditional theology and, further, that there is no reason to wish that they were true.
Man, in so far as he is not subject to natural forces, is free to work out his own destiny. The responsibility is his, and so is the opportunity.
-Bertrand Russell
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 8:42 am
Skepsis Wrote:With that in mind, I still hold that foundational beliefs such as "I exist" "I have a past" and "my senses are accurate to an extent" are necessary to live in this world
I justify these beliefs because whenever I have acted as if these things are self-evident, I receive postitive results. It's not a solid proof or anything, but it at least allows me to feel as if I'm not just blindly following unfounded assumptions.
Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own - Bertrand Russell
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 9:06 am
(This post was last modified: July 26, 2012 at 9:15 am by The Grand Nudger.)
@ Skep
Our senses don't have to be accurate or "right" they just have to be "good enough". What about the unreliability of sensory experience makes reality seem unlivable to you?
I'm wondering, do you trust your eyes out of faith, or by experience and corroboration? If you saw pixie floating in front of you would you reach out to touch it? Would you ask someone else if they saw the pixie as well? That would be leveraging quite a few senses right there (and those of others). I'm not sure that this qualifies as an exercise in faith by any definition. We seem hardwired both to accept and be skeptical even with regards to our own sensory experiences (and we reinforce that throughout our lives by multiple avenues). Personally, I think that's a fantastic practical compromise. Our senses are unreliable, at a point. However, time is of the essence with sensory experience, you can't be so bogged down with deciding whether or not you can trust your sensory experiences when they tell you danger is flying at your face as to be hit in the forehead before you decided whether or not the danger was real. While it is true that your senses cannot be trusted completely, most of us are unlikely to reach their breaking point in our day to day lives. It's only when we begin to exceed the normal range of operations for our senses that their unreliability becomes more and more pronounced. This isn't to say that they don't glitch constantly even in mundane and ordinary circumstances, but that these glitches are an "acceptable" trade-off for the measure of reliability that they can be expected to achieve, bugs and features..lol.
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RE: Justification for Foundational Belief
July 26, 2012 at 9:11 am
(July 26, 2012 at 6:37 am)Skepsis Wrote: It almost seems too obvious to me to point out why not being able to trust your senses makes reality seem unlivable, but I guess that suffices for an explanation in itself.
![[Image: painted-truck-optical-illusion-beer.jpg]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=visualfunhouse.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2007%2F11%2Fpainted-truck-optical-illusion-beer.jpg)
Not trusting my senses is the very elixir of my life. My wife tells me regularly how unreliable my memory is, yet I seen to be able to struggle through sometimes in party mode.
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