a few thoughts…

one of Clifford's argument in standard form-

1. No matter how insignificant or small a belief may seem, mankind as a whole must extend their judgment on the argument of the belief. 
2. Beliefs are a protected power that effects everyone, and they allow people to make decisions for all of humanity.
C: Therefore, because beliefs effect everyone, people must extend their judgment on the every argument's credibility.

Even though many people debate after talking about their personal beliefs, debates still bring people together. There have been numerous occasions in which communities, cities, and entire countries have unified because of the shared desire to make an important decision. Without beliefs, there would be no reason to have any sort of self-expression, laws, or unity.

With all of his talk about beliefs and judgments, Clifford’s goal is to stress how vital listening to each other’s beliefs, and taking the time to think about those beliefs, is for mankind. The heavy responsibility of taking every argument seriously and with caution is on everyone. Any argument or claim based on insufficient evidence is, and always will be, wrong, according to Clifford.

Clifford’s reasoning for arguments hold some truths about the importance of valid and sound premises, however, I frequently wonder if some of his claims have fallacious qualities. When stating things such as, “But if the belief has been accepted on insufficient evidence, the pleasure is a stolen one. Not only does it deceive ourselves by giving us a sense of power which we do not really possess, but it is sinful, because it is stolen in defiance of our duty to mankind.” (Ethics of Belief 3), Clifford begins to drift off into dramatic conclusions. By inferring that beliefs established on insufficient evidence are sinful, Clifford heads in an extreme direction describing the act as a stolen sense of power, and saying it is a “defiance of our duty”.

Although I agree with his suggestion of taking arguments seriously and to not abuse this power of judgement on beliefs, Clifford’s view on the acceptance of beliefs is a little extreme. If you completely throw out an idea or belief just because you feel like there isn’t “adequate” evidence, you become too close-minded and start to overthink everything. I feel like people should give everything a chance to prove itself as something of value, so being too quick to disregard a belief can be harmful. You might miss out on beneficial knowledge if you’re too harsh with your judgements.

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