Chapter 13 "The Will to Believe" by William James Name: Junio Ryan NIM: 20191000025 Faculty: Faculty of Science & Technology University: Buddhi Dharma University

1. CHAPTER 13
“THE WILL TO BELIEVE”
BY WILLIAM JAMES
Name : Junio Ryan
NIM : 191000026
University : Buddhi dharma University
Faculty : Faculty of Science & Technology

2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 27, 1910) was an
American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to
offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to
be a leading thinker of the late nineteenth century, one of the most
influential philosophers of the United States, and the "Father of
American psychology".

3. ABOUT THE WORK
In his Will to Believe, James argues that it is not
unreasonable to believe the hypotheses that cannot be
known or established to be true by scientific
investigation. But, when some hypotheses of ultimate
concern arise, he argues that by not choosing, we lose
any possibility for meaningful encounters because our
faith pragmatically shapes the future outcomes.

4. HYPOTHESES AND OPTIONS
Hypotheses are beliefs, or ideas, that are presented to us
as beliefs that might be believed. The live hypothesis is a
belief that actually allows us to believe because there is
real evidence, while the dead hypothesis is a belief that
we might not believe because of lack of evidence.

5. HYPOTHESES AND OPTIONS
• Options have several kinds. They may be
• living or dead
• forced or avoidable
• momentous or trivial.
• Genuine options : is an option which is
simultaneously living, forced, and momentous.

6. LIVE AND DEAD OPTION
• A live option is a decision between two live hypotheses or
option.
• A dead option is a decision between two options at least one of
which is dead hypothesis or option.

7. OPTION AS FORCED OR AVOIDABLE
• The forced options are options / decisions that we need to make
between the two options that we have to face or can't avoid.
• As an example, “Hear this song or dont hear it”. It is a forced option,
because there is no alternative for that statement.
• The avoidable option is a decision between two options that we can
choose to avoid.
• As an example, “choose between bring your umbrella or not”. It is an
avoidable option, because you can easily avoid it by not going out at all.

8. OPTION IS MOMENTUOUS OR TRIVIAL
• Momentuous options are options that are important, have a significant
effect on society, and usually rarely happen again.
• Trivial options are options that do not have a significant effect on society
and usually will happen again.
• The importance or not of a choice is based on how a person views a choice
based on his opinion of something.
It is a Momentuous option
for Neil Amstrong to be the
first person who landed on
the moon in 20 July 1969
Choosing what we'd like to
eat is a Trivial option

9. JAMES'S THESIS
• Humans passional nature not only lawfully may, but must, decide an option
between propositions, whenever it is a genuine option that cannot by its
nature be decided on intellectual grounds; for to say, under such
circumstances, “Do not decide, but leave the question open,” is itself a
passional decision—just like deciding yes or no—and is attended with the
same risk of losing the truth

10. SCIENCE IN WILL OF BELIEVE
• Science is based on what is really happening, while the
heart/conscience is based on our opinions / our point of view.
• And human passion is looking for truth that is presumably true.

11. MORAL BELIEFS ARE QUESTIONS
• Moral beliefs are questions not about what makes sense, but what is
good, or would be good if it did exist. Science can tell us what is
there, but to compare values, both what is and what is not, we must
consult. Because science itself requires proof when stating certainty
of facts and false beliefs.
• Having moral beliefs or not is decided by our will. And about our
moral preferences, right or wrong is determined according to our
own mind, If your heart does not want the world of moral reality,
our minds will definitely not believe that.

12. SOCIAL RELATIONS
• James gives self-fulfilling beliefs as one example
• “do you like me or not?”. in this case, if the James desired to
make another like him, then, he'll do something to make
another like him, such as show another trust and expectation.
This shows up as desire will actually create a truth.
• If truth dependent on our personal action, then, faith based
on desire is certainly a lawful and possibly an
indispensable thing.

13. WILLING TO BELIEVE AND RELIGIOUS BELIEF
• The Hypothesis of Religion is the belief that the
best things are eternal things, the overlapping
things, the things in the universe that throw the
last stone so to speak, and say the final word.
• and that we will get better if we believe that the
best things are eternal things.

14. RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
• There is insufficient evidence for both hypotheses in religious choice, and
that (partly as a result of this) religious choice is one of the choices that
exist in our lives. religious choices are momentuous options, if the
religious hypothesis is true then there is a big advantage to believing it and
a big risk attached to failure to believe it. This option is also forced,
because there is no third alternative to believe or not believe. The
Religious Option is a genuine option, and we do not need sufficient
evidence to base this belief; we can let our "nature" finish the rest.

15. SOURCES
• Introduction to Ethical Studies An Open Source Reader by Lee Archie & John G. Archie
• https://www4.uwsp.edu/philosophy/dwarren/IntroBook/CliffordJames/James/james%202.htm