James admits that society would prosper better if it followed Clifford's rule about beliefs (that we should believe only when we have very strong evidence).
James admits that society would prosper better if it followed Clifford's rule about beliefs (that we should believe only when we have very strong evidence).
If we followed Clifford's idea, we wouldn't trust another person unless we had very strong evidence that the person was trustworthy. So we'd be very skeptical about other people.
Human relationships, according to James, demand that we trust each other -- that we give each other the benefit of the doubt, that we believe each other unless we have evidence to the contrary. Without this kind of trust, society would collapse.
James admits that society would prosper better if it followed Clifford's rule about beliefs (that we should believe only when we have very strong evidence).
If we followed Clifford's idea, we wouldn't trust another person unless we had very strong evidence that the person was trustworthy. So we'd be very skeptical about other people.
Human relationships, according to James, demand that we trust each other -- that we give each other the benefit of the doubt, that we believe each other unless we have evidence to the contrary. Without this kind of trust, society would collapse.