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Full Idea
It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.
Gist of Idea
It is always wrong to believe things on insufficient evidence
Source
William K. Clifford (works [1870]), quoted by Robert Fogelin - Walking the Tightrope of Reason Ch.4
Book Ref
Fogelin,Robert: 'Walking the Tightrope of Reason' [OUP 2004], p.98
A Reaction
This is a famous remark, but is in danger of being tautological unless one gives some account of what 'insufficient' means. If Clifford means the evidence must be conclusive, this is nonsense. 'Never believe if there is no evidence' is better.
Related Ideas
Idea 17770 Clifford's dictum seems to block our beliefs in morality, politics and philosophy [Bayne]
Idea 19517 Believing without a reason may just be love of your own fantasies [Locke]
Idea 23641 People dislike believing without evidence, and try to avoid it [Reid]
| 6587 | It is always wrong to believe things on insufficient evidence [Clifford] |
| 8807 | Evidentialism is the view that justification is determined by the quality of the evidence [Feldman/Conee] |
| 8809 | Beliefs should fit evidence, and if you ought to believe it, then you are justified [Feldman/Conee] |
| 19520 | Evidentialism is not axiomatic; the evidence itself inclines us towards evidentialism [Conee] |
| 19518 | Evidentialism says justifications supervene on the available evidence [Conee/Feldman] |
| 19683 | Narrow evidentialism relies wholly on propositions; the wider form includes other items [McGrew] |
| 19722 | We could know the evidence for our belief without knowing why it is such evidence [Mittag] |
| 19723 | Evidentialism can't explain that we accept knowledge claims if the evidence is forgotten [Mittag] |
| 19720 | Evidentialism concerns the evidence for the proposition, not for someone to believe it [Mittag] |