Foreign thinker
William Kingdon Clifford
William Kingdon CliffordPhilosophy and MathematicsBritish1845–1879
It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.
In their times
Open in the Timeline of ThoughtLife and Thought
William Kingdon Clifford (1845–1879) was a British mathematician and philosopher known for his work in geometry and algebra, as well as his famous essay "The Ethics of Belief." He argued that believing without sufficient evidence is morally wrong.
William Kingdon Clifford was born in England in 1845 and showed a brilliant talent for mathematics at an early age. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, and later taught mathematics. Clifford made important contributions to non-Euclidean geometry and the theory of Clifford algebras.
In philosophy, he is best known for his essay "The Ethics of Belief," in which he argues that believing something without sufficient evidence is not only epistemically incorrect but also morally wrong. His famous statement in this regard is: "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence."
Clifford died of illness at the age of 33, but his influence on the philosophy of science and epistemology has endured.
Bibliography
Writings and transcribed lectures2 titles
The Ethics of Belief: The Link Between Ethics and Epistemology
Philosophy in Change, John Dewey and William Clifford: Biography and Selected Quotes
