William James s Decision Based On Intellectual Grounds

In his lecture, â€Å"The Will to Believe,† William James addresses how one adopts a belief. There is a hypothesis and an option, where you choose between two live hypotheses. An option has the characteristics to be live or dead, forced or avoidable, and momentous or trivial. In his thesis, James argues how â€Å"our passional nature† must make our decisions about our beliefs when they cannot be certainly determined on â€Å"intellectual grounds,† however, this is not the case, we can always make the decision based on intellectual grounds. One can use Bayesian probability to gain some grasp of the situation and eventually to make a decision. In section I of James’ lecture, he defines hypothesis, giving examples of live and dead hypotheses. A hypothesis is â€Å"...anything that may be proposed to our belief.† (James, sec. 1) It is anything proposed to be believed, a claim. A hypothesis may be living or dead, depending on the recipient. James explain s the difference between live or dead with an example of believing in Mahdi. To a person that does not know about the subject at hand, it would be a dead hypothesis. However, if this claim was presented to someone who knew the subject matter, it would alive as â€Å"†¦ the hypothesis is among the mind s possibilities.† (James, sec. 1) A live hypothesis is a claim that appears to be a real possibility for the one it is proposed to. A dead hypothesis is a claim that does not appear to be a real possibility for the one it is proposed to. Whether aShow MoreRelatedWilliam James s Will For Believe1171 Words   |  5 Pagessentences. 1. Explain William James’s Will to Believe. There are three elements to observe when dealing with a hypothesis. Jame s noted we must ask is our hypothesis dead or living, forced or avoidable, momentous. What the Will to Believe is advocating is one can morally or rationally believe in God or something, even if there is not sufficient intellectual evidence for such a belief. We answer the questions which are outlined on page 292 over the three points on the grounds of our â€Å"passional natureRead MoreClifford s Views On Religion1488 Words   |  6 Pagesfor me. On the other hand James’ more faith-filled philosophy based on his view of religion, recognizing facts and the truth and how the choices we make in our lives effect us everyday are some of the more relatable ethics that we can apply in our daily lives and to give us some guidance in a life full of so many choices. As we know many people have a stance on religion just like WK Clifford who has a very strong view about religion, but some do not agree. 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