Question for you: what beliefs have you that never result in any action? And what actions do you take that aren't the result of some set of beliefs (barring physical reflexes)? Clearly there are degrees here I suppose. some beliefs are pretty innocuous and lead to no exciting behavior. I believe there's a hot dog in the fridge so I'm going to find it, heat the thing and eat it.
But further, what beliefs have you that have no effect on anyone else? Matters of degree here too I suppose. The hot dog belief may turn out to be false and off I go to see my friends at the grocery store. Or it's a rotten one and I eat it anyway and off I go to the ER. Or it's great and I leave my friends alone at the store, fall asleep satisfied and forget to call my mom.
The proviso that we ought to be able to believe whatever we want, so long as we don't interfere with each other as a result, is dicey at best. Our actions, spawned (good word?) as they are by what we believe always effect other people by degrees. It's when we turn up the heat that we worry. Going back to our discussion of the importance of questions of meaning, I could be someone who believes that by being human, by definition, one cannot be black. This belief I'm sure will manifest itself in action sooner or later and, consequently, neither the action nor the belief ought to be tolerated. The same goes for religious beliefs. If someone accepts that their God demands that they launch a rocket grenade into a schoolyard, the beliefs are just as obnoxious as the resulting action. Perhaps the only unqestionalble beliefs are Tautologies -- statements that pretty much say nothing, e.g., I believe that it's either Wednesday or it's not. No argument here. |
