Are there ever situations where we should believe something even when there’s not enough evidence either way? In this session we will consider whether we have control over our beliefs and whether it is ever a good idea to believe something before the evidence has come in. We will take a close look at William James’ pragmatic defense of “leaps of faith” when it comes to choosing forms of life.
Read This:
Interactive Essay: William James’ “The Will to Believe”
Key Concepts:
- Ethics of belief
- Doxastic voluntarism
- Clifford’s Principle
- James’ three conditions for a leap of faith
Have questions or thoughts about the reading? Post them on PollEverywhere, and upvote any classmates’ responses that you’d like to cover in class. We’ll address the most upvoted responses during the Q&A part of class.
Do This:
- Complete Activity #2 of Map to the Good Life before your next dialogue meeting
- Reminder: If you would like to submit a “Living the Good Life” reflection on a prompt from the Epistemology unit (“Question Everything” through “Believe Your Truth”), the last day to do so is October 27.
Pre-Class Questions
Your responses to the following questions are due on Canvas before class. Your top 15 scores of the semester will count toward your final grade.
- William James gives three conditions that must be met for a leap of faith to be justified. What are they? Give your own example to illustrate each one (apart from those found in the reading).
- Give a non-religious example where someone had faith in something or someone and it was a good thing for them to do, and an example where it was a bad thing for them to do. What is the difference between the two cases? Do these examples align with James’ ethic of belief (i.e. the conditions he gives for a leap of faith), or do they challenge it in any way? Explain.
Living the Good Life
Reflections addressing prompts from the Religion unit (“Take A Leap Of Faith” through “There Is No God”) are due on Canvas by 11:59pm on November 16. You may write up to two “Living the Good Life” reflections in the first half of the semester and up to two in the second half of the semester. You can also revise and resubmit one reflection for a new grade, within one week after your grade is posted. Your top three scores will count toward your final grade.
Watch the documentary The Inventor (HBO) or the miniseries The Dropout (Hulu), and analyze Elizabeth Holmes’ story from the perspective of William James’ theory of faith. Do you think James would view Holmes’ unwavering belief in her vision for Theranos as justified? Explain why or why not, and reflect on what your answer implies for James’ approach to leaps of faith.
