William James, The Will to Believe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

William James, The Will to Believe - Essay Example James begins his speech by comparing possible reactions to one hypothesis over another. He uses the scientific term of hypothesis to make a point that that anything which a man strives to prove is, after all, a hypothesis which can never really be proven. Choices as to which hypothesis will be chosen are referred to as an option. According to James there are three types of options: it is either living or dead, forced or avoidable, momentous or trivial. Which option is chosen depends upon who it is being proposed to. A live option is one which must make some kind of appeal to personal appeal. A forced option is one in which the chooser must make a choice as opposed to avoiding the circumstance altogether. A momentous option is one which presents a unique opportunity which has the potential to be life-changing. James states that some beliefs are just that: they are faith-based and they are believed regardless of scientific fact or evidence. His examples, such as that of whether or not we believe that pictures of Abraham Lincoln prove his existence or that we are sick when lying abed stricken with rheumatism, point to the finding that most of what we believe is, after all, really subjective.