Axis: Ethics of belief — Can we legitimately believe without sufficient evidence?
When the evidence is inconclusive and the stakes are vital, we have the right, sometimes even the duty, to believe beyond what the evidence guarantees. Some truths reveal themselves only to those who first dare to wager on them.
Foundations and implications
↑ What grounds itA leaf — an application that grounds nothing further here.
↑ What grounds it
Faith and reason
If faith is a leap that begins where proof ends, then to believe is a matter of decision, not a constraint of the evidence. Fideism grounds doxastic voluntarism: Pascal's wager invites us to bet on God for want of demonstration, making belief an act of the will.
Nature of truth
If an idea is true insofar as it succeeds and makes action fruitful, then, when proof is lacking and the stakes are vital, daring to believe can be legitimate, even fruitful. Pragmatism supports non-evidentialism: James claims a "right to believe" where evidence does not decide and where belief engages life.
↓ What it implies
A leaf — an application that grounds nothing further here.