Clifford's Essay 'The Ethics Of Belief'

In everyday life we make decisions. Some of those decisions influence the livelihood of the people around us. That is why it is very important to make the best decision every time, even if it seems like a small decision at the time. In Clifford’s essay “The ethics of Belief” he gives a now well-known example about a shipowner. The story is of a shipowner and his decision to not go through the expenses of repairing his ship before sending it out in the sea. The ship goes down and everyone drowns, and through this example Clifford asserts that it is a “sin” to hold a belief without sufficient evidence. Many times, our decisions and beliefs should definitely have sufficient evidence but sometimes we have a “gut” feeling that helps us through some