Hitchensova britev

Tomažin, David (author), Markič, Olga (mentor)

Hitchensova britev je epistemološko načelo, ki ga je populariziral angleški novinar Christopher Hitchens v svojem leta 2007 prvič izdanem delu God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, in se glasi: »Kar je mogoče brez dokazov zatrditi, je mogoče brez njih tudi zanikati«. (Hitchens, 2010: 170) Britev določa, da dokazno breme sloni na ramenih tistega, ki nekaj zatrjuje (postavlja neko tezo, trditev, sklep). Britve ni iznašel Hitchens, pač pa je to že znano logiško načelo, ki se ga da zaslediti že v rimskem pravu. A šele v moderni dobi, ki jo zaznamujejo močna religiozna trenja, je tako osnovno in ostro načelo uspel popularizirati sekularni in ateistični novinar, po katerem je britev dobilo svoje ime. Diplomsko delo skuša osvetliti razvoj, pomen in uporabo Hitchensove britve. Naredil bom osnovni filozofski uvod v njeno razumevanje, izpostavil priložnosti za dodatne raziskave, ter si ogledal vlogo britve v neformalni logiki in javnem diskurzu.

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Hitchensova britev, britev, epistemologija, dokazno breme, logika
• Work type: Bachelor thesis/paper
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Year: 2021
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-132898
• COBISS.SI-ID: 89052931
• Publication date in RUL: 05.11.2021

TOMAŽIN, David, 2021, Hitchensova britev [online]. Bachelor’s thesis. [Accessed 18 March 2025]. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=132898

Secondary language

• Language: English
• Title: Hitchens's razor

Abstract

Hitchens's razor is an epistemological principle, which was popularized by an english journalist Christopher Hitchens in his in 2007 first time published work God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Razor reads: "What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence." (Hitchens, 2008: 150) Razor determines that the burden of proof rests on the shoulders of those who assert something (state a thesis, assertion, conclusion). Razor was not invented by Hitchens, since it was a known logical principle, which can be traced back to Roman law. It was not until the modern era, which is characterized by strong religious tensions, that a secular and atheistic journalist, after whom the razor got its name, managed to popularize such a basic and sharp principle. This undergraduate thesis attempts to illuminate the development, meaning and use of Hitchens's razor. I will formulate a basic philosophical introduction to it's understanding, point out the opportunities for additional research and take a look at the role of Hitchens's razor in informal logic and public discourse.

• Keywords: Hitchens's razor, razor, epistemology, burden of proof, logic