DAY 336

CHALLENGE

“Belief without evidence is irrational. A rational man will proportion his beliefs strictly according to the evidence.”

DEFENSE

Actions are irrational if they’re done contrary to reason, but not all reasons are evidential. We sometimes have practical rather than evidential reasons.

Suppose you are fleeing danger and the only way to escape certain death is to leap across a chasm. Suppose further that the chasm is wide enough you can’t tell whether leaping it is within your ability, but if you lose confidence you will certainly fail. In this situation, you have a practi...