William James

William James’s argument in “The Will to Believe” argues how although religion is not rational, it is sensible. The cause of this discussion was that university students said no free-thinking person should have faith without rationally demonstrating the belief. Religion in this case is defined as having faith in something without sufficient evidence. According to James, having a belief isn’t a choice; people just have them. However, there was a condition to his discussion—we can’t believe in…

twentieth century, there was an ongoing academic battle between theologians who affirmed their belief in God and scientists who rejected any belief in the supernatural as being superstitious, exploitative, or, at the very least, wishful thinking. William James saw a need to take an objective look at these arguments and then present his analysis of them. That is what he attempted to accomplish in The Varieties of Religious Experience, which began as a series of lectures. Our purpose is not to…

In a sense, human beings are on a constant quest for the truth, without truly realizing it. However, two famous philosophers did notice this unforeseen quest: Rene Descartes and William James. Rene Descartes delves deeper into the topic of the truth in his philosophical work, “Discourse on Method,” whereas William James further explores the truth, from a distinct perspective, in his philosophical works, “What Pragmatism Means,” and “Pragmatism’s Conception of Truth.” Although both philosophers…

experience, or collection of experiences, that changes the way one sees and feels about the world. Two such thinkers are William James and Friedrich Schleiermacher. However, while both of these philosophers agree that religion is centered in religious experiences, the specifics of Schleiermacher’s conception of religious experiences are more realistic and relatable…

Pierce’s pragmatic principle, James shifts the principle from a theory of meaning and understanding to a theory of truth. James begins his summarization by stating that “what truth means is indeed the conduct it dictates or inspires”. (67) Ironically, this explication of the principle is not what Pierce meant when he developed the pragmatic principle. Pierce equates the principle to be that the meaning of an object or idea is the utility that results from such object or idea. James equates the…

The Habit Loop In his book The Power of Habit (2012), Duhiggs explains “this process within our brain is a three-step loop” (p. 19). That is, the three essential components that make up this ‘habit loop’ are as follows: a cue, a routine, and a reward. Beginning with the first step, a cue is a trigger that overrides the brain to enter an automatic and involuntary mode, before determining which habit to carry out. In this case, an alarm clock going off would be the cue. Clearly, the blaring alarm…

The short video provided in the prompt is of a man falling onto train tracks in a relatively crowded subway station as a train approaches quickly. To the surprise of many viewers, only one onlooker has the gumption to jump onto the tracks and attempt to save this man from his seemingly certain death. Luckily, the lone responder is able to pull the man off the tracks just in time to help him get out of harms way. If this bystander had not acted in the way that he did, I highly doubt we would be…

Aitareya and William James’ Mystical Experience William James explains a mystical experience as having four key concepts. These concepts are ineffability, noetic quality, transiency, and passivity, each dealing with separate portions of an experience. Ineffability is the concept that states a mystical experience cannot be described in words by the experiencer. The noetic quality pertains to the part of the experience which gives the experiencer insight and the experience intellectual value.…

In William James', “The Will to Believe, James provides a defensive response to religious faith regarding W. T. Clifford's position in his essay, "The Ethics of Belief" (James, 2001). Within his stance, James suggests that his views have a somewhat broader scope that Clifford’s (Princeton University, n.d.). Moreover, that in certain cases, it is not only permissible but inevitable that a person’s passional, non-rational nature will determine that person’s belief (Princeton University, n.d.).…

William James argued that under the right conditions it is legitimate to will to believe in something even without evidence to support it. The only reason not to will to believe something would be if there is evidence provided against it. He also claimed that one cannot be criticized for forming these beliefs (James, Part 5). This claim, by James, is incorrect. One, instead, should be able to criticize the beliefs of others. James is correct in claiming that one should use their will when…