Tom Morris's (the head of the Philosophy Department at Notre Dame) system of organizing and selecting philosophies of life. The principle states that a slight inconsistency within a philosophy must not necessarily result in the destruction of the philosophy itself. Therefore, philosophies must be patched up whenever possible to be closer to the ideal. One must weigh the comparative value of the one issue to the value of the entire philosophy.

Examples:
  • I am a ( Jew, Christian, Buddhist, Democrat, Republican ); this is where I find my strength and direction in life. However, I do not like the way ( Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Democrats, Republicans ) support ( no female clergy, abortion, foreign policy, vote on taxes ). Should I give up my entire belief system? Most likely the answer is no. The Principle of Conservation of Belief is applied.

  • I am engaged to a wonderful, loving, responsible person. If I am to hear of her mistakes in the past, should I then break my engagement to marry the person? The answer, of course, is no. Once again, the principle is applied.