How do humanists decide what to believe?

Belief Write down five things you believe. Why do you believe them? What does the word ‘belief’ mean? (Do not use the words ‘belief’ or ‘believe’ in your answer.)

Belief Why do you believe things? What reasons might other people give for believing things? Can you sort your reasons into groups (E.g. personal experience, someone else told me, I worked it out)?

I believe if I throw a stone in the air it will fall back to the ground because... I saw it happen. I really want it to be true. I did an experiment to check it. I read it in a book. I have thought carefully about it and worked it out. My mother told me it was true.

I believe if I walk under a ladder it will bring me bad luck because... I saw it happen. I really want it to be true. I did an experiment to check it. I read it in a book. I have thought carefully about it and worked it out. My mother told me it was true.

Different reasons for believing things Personal experience: seen it, heard it read it, someone told me, others believe it Authority: believing without the need for proof Faith: tested it through investigation and experiment Scientific evidence: thinking carefully and forming a judgement logically Reason/logic:

The murder trial A man has been murdered. Another man has been accused of the murder. You are on the jury. You will hear evidence from eight different witnesses who believe the man accused is the murderer. Which witnesses provide good evidence? Witness 1: ‘I had a dream that he killed him.’ Witness 2: ‘My friend’s mother’s hairdresser’s uncle said he did it.’ Witness 3: ‘I read that he killed him in the newspaper.’ Witness 4: ‘Everyone thinks he did it.’ Witness 5: ‘I just know he did it.’ Witness 6: ‘His fingerprints match those on the murder weapon.’ Witness 7: ‘I know that he had a motive to kill him.’ Witness 8: ‘I saw him do it.’

The murder trial Do you think the evidence is good evidence or not? Explain why. Could anything be wrong with the evidence? Can you order the evidence from best to worst? How would you question each witness’ statement? Would any of the evidence put together be enough to convict the man of murder? What kinds of reasons for believing things are being given (personal experience, authority, faith, scientific evidence, reason)?

How can our beliefs be mistaken? Reasons for believing things Personal experience: seen it, heard it read it, someone told me, others believe it Authority: believing without the need for proof Faith: tested it through investigation and experiment Scientific evidence: thinking carefully and forming a judgement logically Reason/logic:

Can our beliefs be wrong? How could we be mistaken? Reasons for believing things Personal experience: seen it, heard it Authority: read it, someone told me, others believe it Faith: believing without the need for proof Scientific evidence: tested it through investigation and experiment Reason/logic: thinking carefully and forming a judgement logically Personal experience: Illusions Hallucinations One example might not apply to all cases (e.g. the fact you saw one stone fall to the ground does not mean they all will)

Can our beliefs be wrong? How could we be mistaken? Reasons for believing things Personal experience: seen it, heard it Authority: read it, someone told me, others believe it Faith: believing without the need for proof Scientific evidence: tested it through investigation and experiment Reason/logic: thinking carefully and forming a judgement logically Authority: Lying, hoaxes, bias Miscommunication People can be mistaken Possible even for many people to be wrong about something (e.g. the belief the Sun went round the Earth)

Can our beliefs be wrong? How could we be mistaken? Reasons for believing things Personal experience: seen it, heard it Authority: read it, someone told me, others believe it Faith: believing without the need for proof Scientific evidence: tested it through investigation and experiment Reason/logic: thinking carefully and forming a judgement logically Faith: What if different people claim to have faith in something else? Wanting something to be true is not the same as its being true

Can our beliefs be wrong? How could we be mistaken? Reasons for believing things Personal experience: seen it, heard it Authority: read it, someone told me, others believe it Faith: believing without the need for proof Scientific evidence: tested it through investigation and experiment Reason/logic: thinking carefully and forming a judgement logically Scientific evidence: Was it a good test? Was there too small a sample size? Was the test not repeated to check the conclusion?

Can our beliefs be wrong? How could we be mistaken? Reasons for believing things Personal experience: seen it, heard it Authority: read it, someone told me, others believe it Faith: believing without the need for proof Scientific evidence: tested it through investigation and experiment Reason/logic: thinking carefully and forming a judgement logically Reason/logic: Flaws in your background knowledge (the premises) Rationalising to try to prove what you want to prove

Key beliefs of humanists Try to use evidence and reason to help them decide what to believe Believe scientific investigation based on evidence is the best way of understanding the world See no persuasive evidence for the existence of a god or gods See no persuasive evidence for an afterlife, so believe we should make the most of this life

How do humanists decide what to believe? Try to use reason and evidence (science) Won’t rely on faith, revelation, or tradition Don’t think authority should go unquestioned Empiricism: the importance of our senses Sceptical: don’t immediately trust everything they hear Don’t believe in anything supernatural Are prepared to change their beliefs in light of new evidence Accept we can’t test every claim ourselves and have to trust others, but believe we should always think carefully about what we are told and whether we can check it

Humanist quotes ‘A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.’ David Hume, philosopher (1711–1776) ‘That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.’ Christopher Hitchens, writer (1949–2011) ‘When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?’ John Maynard Keynes, economist (1883–1946)

Is there good evidence for these beliefs? I believe the world will end tomorrow because my mum told me so. I believe plants need water to survive because I did an experiment to test it. I believe UFOs have visited Earth because lots of people believe in them. I believe Henry VIII had six wives because I read it in a book.

Freedom of belief Humanists believe we should have freedom of belief… … as long as people’s beliefs do not harm others, … and as long as they do not restrict other people’s freedom of belief. Beliefs should not, however, be free from questioning or criticism. We should try to focus on what we do agree on rather than letting our disagreements become a barrier to conversation and friendship.

Humanist responses How might a humanist respond to these beliefs and the evidence for believing them? I believe in the Loch Ness Monster because I read about it in a book. I believe if you eat marmalade your hair will go curly because I really want it to be true. I believe the number 13 is unlucky because lots of people believe it.

Plenary What questions would you want to ask a humanist? Can we know anything for certain?

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