One of the works I teach fairly routinely in my Introduction to Philosophy classes - and also when I occasionally teach Philosophy of Religion - is William James' essay, The Will To Believe.
It is quite an eye-opening text for my students, since it proposes something that they are surprised a philosopher would say, namely that there are some cases - having to do with matters that we believe or don't - where we not only can decide the matter on the basis of our feelings, our gut hunches, or even just our own capacity to choose. Sometimes, we ought to decide matters that way. that's what we ought to do, if we don't want to miss out on the possibility of learning, knowing, or enjoying the truth.
James will ultimately apply this to religious matters - so the will to believe is a will to believe in God and the teachings of religion, a pragmatic proof, if you like. But it equally applies to all sorts of other matters of our practical lives, from the workplace to our romantic relationships, and even to North Pole expeditions.
I created the podcast episodes below from the seven core concept videos I shot for my students as resources for their studies. Now you can listen to and download them at your leisure. All seven of them together comprise a little under an hour and 45 minutes. Here they are:
- Hypotheses and Options
- Willing Nature And Beliefs
- Criticism Of Pascal's Wager
- Risks, Truth, And Belief
- Empiricism And Absolutism
- Faith Facts And Verification
- Religious Faith And Options
I hope that you enjoy them and find them thought-provoking!
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