PHL 214 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Pareidolia, Loaded Language, Fallacy
25 May 2016
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If a claim conflicts with other claims we have good reason to accept, we have good grounds for doubting it. Background information: the huge collection of very well-supported beliefs that we rely on to inform our actions and choices. Beliefs based on very good evidence (including our personal observations and excellent authority) Justified claims that we would regard as common sense or common knowledge . If a claim conflicts with our background information, we have good reason to doubt it. We should proportion our belief to the evidence. The more evidence a claim has in its favour, the stronger our belief in it should be. It is not reasonable to believe a claim when there is no good reason for doing so. Expert: someone who is more knowledgeable in a particular subject area/field than most other people are. Experts provide us with reasons for believing a claim because. They have access to more information on the subject than we do.
