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Is it rational to suspend belief, in any shape or form, in every statement unless it is logically necessary or incoherent?

User VMykyt
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Final answer:

It is rational to suspend belief in statements unless they are logically necessary or lead to incoherence. Logical consistency helps eliminate falsehoods but does not guarantee truth, as empirical evidence and experiences must also be taken into account.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question probes whether one should suspend belief in all statements unless they are logically necessary or lead to an incoherence. To maintain a coherent belief system, it becomes essential that the beliefs we hold can coexist without contradiction. By using logical consistency as a filter, we ensure that our beliefs can potentially be true simultaneously. This rigorous scrutiny is crucial because a logically inconsistent set of beliefs cannot be entirely true. Thus, while logical consistency does not guarantee truth, it helps in eliminating what cannot be true.

Accepting contradictory claims is like building upon an unstable foundation, as contradictions represent a logical impossibility. It is vital to employ reasoning and challenge the plausibility of our beliefs to ensure they withstand logical inspection. This, however, does not mean that beliefs supported by coherent reasoning are infallibly true, as one can always question the underlying assumptions.

Ultimately, while reasoning is an essential tool in discovering truth, it is not exclusively sufficient. Beyond logical consistency, one must also consider empirical evidence and personal experiences that shape and reinforce our understanding of reality.

User Ryan Kirkman
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