We Are Morally Responsible For Our Belief Clifford Summary

In this text, William K. Clifford is discussing the answer to the question of whether or not we are morally responsible for our beliefs. Clifford explains the immoral act of believing things based on insufficient evidence when he states, “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” (4). In other words, Clifford suggests that we do have a moral duty or responsibility to mankind to base our beliefs on evidence. To support this claim, Clifford uses deontology and thought experiments. This claim allows Clifford to argue for the further claim that putting belief in religion is morally incorrect.
One of the thought experiments