William James: the Will to Believe

[Archaea]

He also argues that atheism and agnosticism are equally irrational, but it is more rational to choose hope as opposed to no hope.

[BarbaraGordon]

Originally Posted by Archaea

He also argues that atheism and agnosticism are equally irrational, but it is more rational to choose hope as opposed to no hope.

yes. I saw that. I'm more interested in his defense of theism, and am trying to think about whether his argument transfers to the real world, where people rarely choose theism without choosing to belong to a specific denomination.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by BarbaraGordon

yes. I saw that. I'm more interested in his defense of theism, and am trying to think about whether his argument transfers to the real world, where people rarely choose theism without choosing to belong to a specific denomination.

I don't remember James ever identifying one form over another, at least not publicly. In effect, I believe James would argue, being the known pragmatist, that you should start from where you are and progress through some form of empiricism to determine in which faith to remain.