Belief and Integrity: Philosophical Dialogues

Sound Bite

Short philosophical dialogues geared to today's problems stimulate readers to think about their approach to life and, like a good interlocutor, help readers to explore their assumptions from a variety of perspectives.

About the Book

Join the discussion among friends as they take a fresh look at two concepts whose meaning and definitions we may all too often take for granted. Belief. The dialogues in this section deal with both the positives and negatives of belief. How do you know what to believe? How do you know what to stop believing? For instance, the dialogue called Nothing asks, What does it mean to believe in nothing? What is the difference between belief that something is so and calculation that it is likely? Can you believe in nothing and still have a conscience? From this last question one sees how this connects with the next group of dialogues, those dealing with integrity. Integrity. We all value integrity. Or do we? What does it take to achieve it? How do you know when you've got it? What does it take to maintain it? The dialogues here get at these questions. The dialogue called Right prods readers to ponder, When are you in the right? What does doing what you're supposed to do earn you? Who helps you when you don't know what to do? As each dialogue is a short piece that builds upon others within the book, readers might choose to enjoy a single piece at a time or pursue one after another, depending on the time at hand. Either way, the reader will find a thoughtful inquiry on individual themes that reflect upon each other and add up to a larger discussion.

Introduction

...Is it possible to believe without integrity? Perhaps we should say that integrity means living up to your beliefs. But what if you believe contradictory things? How do you live up to that? Does anyone live in a pure state of non-contradiction? Is it the art in life not to let your contradictions show? Or maybe contradictions are fine as long as they are the generally accepted contradictions we see in everyday life. Some beliefs are better than others. How do we know that? As the characters engage in dialogue some of that should come clear. Some beliefs are inherently stronger than others, it seems. And it may seem that some characters are stronger than others. Is that a function of integrity alone, or integrity coupled to the right beliefs? Can strong belief alone give one strength? Can a lack of integrity destroy one's beliefs over time?How do you build up integrity? You act. But what sort of acts are possible in these very short dialogues? To speak can be to act, and the characters do nothing if not speak. But what is left unsaid? That, too, must be taken into account. Is holding one's tongue an act?Some beliefs are better than others, we've said. But what makes a belief bad? ...