W. K. Clifford (1845-1879) was a British philosopher and mathematician. He made a compelling argument regarding ethics of belief. In module two reading‚ he stated that it is always wrong to make a claim without sufficient evidence. William James (1842-1910)‚ on the other hand‚ a philosopher and psychologist‚ took a different approach‚ in which he shared a different view concerning religious belief. Notably‚ both evidentialism and nonevidentialism approach have some merit and validity. I will assess
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William James (1842-1910) William James was a philosopher and psychologist but was most well known in the field of Psychology for developing the philosophy of pragmatism‚ or the Functionalist theory: "Theory of mental life and behavior that is concerned with how an organism uses its perceptual abilities to function in its environment." He was also the first Psychologist to be born in America. William James was born on January 11‚ 1842 in New York City. His father‚ Henry James Sr. was a
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William James: Father of Psychology The father of psychology is a topic of great debate as there have been several individuals who have had a large influence on psychology. One of these individuals who made a large contribution to psychology and how we study it today is William James. He lived from 1842 to 1910 and in his life he accomplished a lot in the field of psychology and he dominated American psychology with his functionalist theories. James’ (1890) biggest influence in psychology leading
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Paper-William James William James‚ an American psychologist and philosopher was born on January 11‚ 1842 at the Astor House in New York City. His father James Sr. is described as an independently wealthy and notoriously eccentric Swedenborgian theologian well acquainted with the literary and intellectual elites of his day. (wikipedia‚ 2011‚ p.1) The James family were remarkable epistolary of talents. His brother became a prominent novelist and his sister publicly published a diary. James was a
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Argumentative Essay on “The Ethics of Belief” PHIL 2641 Online – Section 001 February 13‚ 2008 William K. Clifford sets out to show in “The Ethics of Belief” that “it is wrong always‚ everywhere‚ and for anyone‚ to believe anything upon insufficient evidence…” In this paper‚ I will show that his argument lacks key definitions needed in order to found his inference upon and that it begs the question as to what qualifies as “insufficient” evidence. Furthermore‚ I will show that the primary issue
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of belief” and “The will to believe”‚ William James develops his argument surrounding the idea that free will is not an illusion‚ and that the hypotheses you identify with can be quantified into different categories and inevitably will determine the path your life takes. His argument is very thorough but it is evident that there are several issues in his assessment of the subdivisions in the process‚ and the justification of the decisions we make. William James revolves his argument around free will
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Origins of William James / Jamesian Thinking William James‚ born 1842‚ was a trained physician who subsequently dabbled in works of philosophy and psychology (in which he officiated as a formal study through lectures) (Goodman‚ 2009). As did many philosophers‚ Jamesian thinking seeded many discussions on various philosophical topics such as metaphysics‚ morality‚ free will-determinism‚ religion and the afterlife; however‚ what truly made his ideas notable was his uncanny ability to borrow and integrate
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definitions of education‚ many people have different options of education and how it should be taught. I however will explore three definitions. William James’ definition who was a philosopher and psychologist will be explained. I will use an online dictionary. Lastly‚ Webster’s Universal English Dictionary definition for education will be explored. William James states that‚ "Education‚ in short‚ cannot be better described than by calling it the organization of acquired habits of conduct and tendencies
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William James wrote‚ “Determinism leads us to call our judgments of regret wrong‚ because they are pessimistic in implying that what is impossible yet ought to be.” (1) I intend to make an argument against James‚ on the basis that determinism does not consent human beings to completely neglect moral responsibility. I shall first briefly define determinism. Determinism means that for every event that takes place‚ the preceding events are determined. Given prior events and the laws of nature‚ it
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After William James’s students “got well imbued with the logical spirit” (William James 130) they began to question his belief in God because it could not be proven through logic and he had no evidence to back up his claim. This inspired him to write his essay “The Will to Believe” in which he attempts to explore and refute Pascal’s logical reason to believe in God‚ and William Cliffords argument that any claim made without strong evidence to back it is a morally wrong claim‚ despite what the truth
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