According to James, it's permissible to follow our feelings on what to believe
According to James, it's permissible to follow our feelings on what to believe
This is the view of Clifford and others that James is attacking.
According to James, it's permissible to follow our feelings on what to believe
If the truth can be decided on intellectual grounds, then we have to follow this -- regardless of what our feelings say. So we can't just believe that 2+2=5 because this feels good.
According to James, it's permissible to follow our feelings on what to believe
If the truth can be decided on intellectual grounds, then we have to follow this -- regardless of what our feelings say. So we can't just believe that 2+2=5 because this feels good.
On the other hand, if a given option is genuine (live, forced, and momentous) -- and we can't decide it on intellectual grounds -- then we must follow our feelings on what to believe. On this basis, James follows his feelings and decides to believe things like "There is a God," "Humans have free will," and "There are moral truths."