ARP: Reaction to Meiland's "Why Reasons Matter"

Kensuke Uematsu　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Uematsu1
Professor James
ARW section AI
8 May 2007
　　　　　　　　　　　　Reaction to Meiland’s “Why Reasons Matter”
Summary
　　　　　　In “Why Reasons Matter”, Meiland argues that beliefs are supported by good reasons. There are five main points. To begin with, beliefs which are supported by good reasons are more reliable. A good reason produces a greater likelihood of truth. Next, beliefs based on good reasons help our better life in the world. To illustrate, it help us to avoid frustrations which is about the gaps between the real world and the things in our mind, and to achieve one’s goals. Third, the discussion with good reasons helps to make ideal person and society. For example, when the government discusses social decisions with citizens, each side tries to show the best reasons which support their beliefs. Then, the best decisions will come up with the best reasons. Fourth, justified true belief is useful to us because it stays with us longer. To demonstrate, people are more likely to retain their beliefs when they know why they ought to hold the beliefs because they can defend their beliefs from different beliefs if they have good reasons or justification. Finally, by investigating reasons for our beliefs, we come to understand them better. It is as useless and as dangerous to hold beliefs that may be true but which you don’t understand it is exactly true. Therefore, the beliefs have to be supported by good reasons.

Discussion
　　　　　　According to “Why Reasons Matter”, beliefs should be supported by good reasons. Meiland said that basing belief on good reasons discovered in cooperative discussion with others helps to make us the persons that we want to be and to produce the type of society in which we want to live. It is true and there are three reasons. First, when we discuss about something, we have to bring good reasons to support our beliefs and each side tries to show that the best reasons support its alternative. Then, we will reach to the best decision with reliable reasons and this is the way we believe that we should relate to one another in society. Second, each person should think about reliability of decisions or beliefs which is decided by a discussion. To illustrate, it is dangerous to believe other people’s idea and to act on their decisions without much justification. It causes the world many big problems or troubles. For example, the oil shock in Japan, 1973. Finally, we must do sufficient discussion to decide something important which is about politics, for instance. To demonstrate, it’s the way of democracy to make a decision with much thought that is constructed by many kinds of justified beliefs and these thought ought to be proposed by various people. It’s the way in which we think about ourselves, the kinds of persons we are or would like to become, and the ways in which we want to relate to and interact with others in society. All of these reasons, the discussion with good reasons helps to become ideal person and to make ideal society.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Work Cited
Meiland, Jack W. College Thinking: How to Get the Best Out of College. New York: New American Library, 1981. (Tｘhe ELP Reader, 2006. 7-10).