Essays Tagged: "Will to Believe"

William James "The Will to Believe", Book IX

ime. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines morals as "conforming to a standard of right behavior." William James has his own theory on morality. He believes that people decide whether or not to have ... theory on morality. He believes that people decide whether or not to have morals by their own free will.Book IX of "The Will to Believe" talks about questioning morals. Questions of morality are situ ...

(6 pages) 119 0 4.8 Apr/2004

Subjects: Humanities Essays > Philosophy

Should we believe beyond evide

This section provides us with two selections from the essays of William K. Clifford (1845-1879) and William James (1842-1910). Clifford's essay, The Ethics of Belie ... ess we have good evidence to support its truth" (Voices of Wisdom, 346). James wrote his essay, The Will to Believe, as a response to Clifford's essay where he endorsed a philosophy called pragmatism. ... g experiences every time.Clifford holds that you should not believe any proposition just because it will give you eternal happiness when in fact there is a lack of evidence which should lead you to do ...

(7 pages) 47 0 0.0 Feb/2008

Subjects: Humanities Essays > Philosophy

A Pragmatic God

is knowledge without proof? This statement is what James attempted to refute with his argument "The Will to Believe." A person is forced to make a choice. A person who avoids the ques ... ibility of final reward. This person however stands to lose even more than the atheist; this person will not have the chance of being right, god or no god, because they never decided what to believe. ...

(3 pages) 20 0 1.0 Feb/2008

Subjects: Humanities Essays > Philosophy