PHI 108 Module 4
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School
Stony Brook University *
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Course
123
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Jan 9, 2024
Type
Pages
2
Uploaded by AmbassadorMusicCapybara34
What if there are no gods? What if the god I've been told about from an early age
doesn't exist?
This question may be tough for one to process as it strikes some people at their core
belief system. It may challenge people to consider other possibilities and may be
unsettling for many to challenge a core belief of there’s. In order to confront this
question one has to be brave enough to challenge tradition, and potentially alienate
themselves from loved ones who do not want to think about things such as this. A
question like this makes us reevaluate and challenge our moral and existential
framework. A nihilistic approach may cause some to fall into a state of depression as
they begin to think that life has no meaning. However to others a nihilistic approach may
cause the opposite, as some may think if nothing in life matters then I should do what I
want to do and not let myself be confined by others boundaries. Overall thinking about
this demands intellectual and emotional resilience, it prompts us to consider how beliefs
we have influence our actions and our relationships with others which may cause us to
reassess our place in the world and if we are truly honest with ourselves.
Question for further discussion:
Is it always a good thing to question your own beliefs? especially if you are already
happy with your life and the way things have worked out for you why or why not?
What if there is no objective moral right or wrong?
This question is very tough as it strikes right in the middle of our ethical foundations. It
forces us to rethink the world around us and all of the decisions we make. Nearly
everyone has morals and a lot of people think that their morals are objectively right . By
posing the thought that there is no objective moral right or wrong this might throw some
people off as it suggests that nothing is black and white that there are nuances in every
situation. This may cause people to look at times in the past when others have made
decisions that to them may not be morally right, but looking at it from a different
perspective might cause someone to have a different perspective. For example
someone might see someone stealing bread from a shop and think to themselves that is
objectively morally wrong, what they might not know however is that the person stealing
has two kids that are starving and he can’t afford to buy them shoes. This question
encourages people to look at both sides of the story and to use perspective in order to
help explain others' decisions.
Question for further discussions:
What is a time in the past where someone has made what you thought was a morally
wrong decision but in retrospect you can understand why they made the decision?
What if a very popular or charismatic person is telling half-truths or lies?
This touches on the uncomfortability of moral and intellectual integrity, as the question
goes beyond just skepticism. In this time it is very common to see charismatic people
who have a lot of support from others, they might have certain morals or beliefs that
resonate with us. It takes a lot of courage to assess what someone you look up to is
saying and decide if this is the truth or if you would like this person to be telling the truth.
To answer this question, we need to avoid confirmation bias and do research on what is
being said. A good example of this is in politics, politicians will often say things to
appease their target audience and things they say may resonate with us. It is important
though that we fact check what they are saying and confirm that they are telling the truth
as we dont want to base our opinion on certain controversial topics off of faulty or
half-true statements. This takes a lot of courage as people like to think that what they
believe in is right and will often use confirmation bias to confirm their beliefs.
Confirmation bias is defined as “the
tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation
of one's existing beliefs or theories.” It takes a lot of courage to question one's beliefs,
as this may force you to change them as a whole. Ensuring that your beliefs are not
based upon confirmation bias and are factual is a journey towards intellectual honesty
and allows one to be more confident in their beliefs.
Question for further discussion:
How social media platforms such as instagram and facebook do a better job at
stopping spreading of misinformation that feeds into peoples confirmation bias?
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