The Logic and the Absurd
In his essay, Will to Believe, William James essentially asserts that there is great value in what he calls our passional tendencies, which may flavor the choices we make. He contends that where there is willingness to act, there is a will to believe. Pure logic can’t dictate our beliefs and faith is sensible. Science should not discredit these in a knee jerk reaction by yelling, “There is no Evidence,” for everything cannot be explained by science. Au contraire, if we look for absolute answers, we will close our minds to furthering our inquiry of the truth. Religion is a therefore very much a live hypothesis for James; a live hypothesis being measured by an individual’s willingness to act. Faith or belief becomes an extension, in the sense that it is a “willingness to act irrevocably.” James’ essay is an attempt, "to defendour right to adopt a believing attitude in religious matters, in spite of the fact that our logical intellect may not be coerced."