Can You Choose What You Believe? | Liz Jackson

🔍 Key insights

• We May Be More Responsible for Beliefs Than We Think – Beliefs aren’t just passive reactions to information; they can carry moral or epistemic weight.

• We Might Sometimes Choose What We Believe – In ambiguous cases, I might actively shape my beliefs through deliberation or emotional commitment.

• Faith May Be More Than Belief Without Evidence – Faith may be different than just blind trust: it could involve belief, desire, resilience, and personal commitment.

📚 Go deeper

🎥 Related videos:

• Choosing and Controlling Beliefs: What Do Philosophers Say? – Introduction to the topic by Liz Jackson

• Is free will an illusion? | Uri Maoz | Big Think – Uri Maoz ponders if we have free will and the importance of definitions in complex debates

📖 Further reading:

• Doxastic Voluntarism by Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy – A solid introduction to the question of whether we can choose our beliefs.

💡 Think for Yourself

• Have you ever believed something because you wanted it to be true? Was that belief rational?

• Is faith belief with a desire or belief without evidence?

☁️ Thought Experiment

Imagine your closest friend is accused of a serious crime. The evidence is ambiguous. Do you choose to believe they’re innocent — or guilty?

Now ask: Did you decide that belief?

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Cheers,
Kevin