The Will to Believe, Human Immortality

Throughout his writings as a psycholgist and philosopher, William James was preoccupied with questions of religion. Put simply, James wrestled with questions about whether Darwin's theory of evolution and mechanistic, physiologically -based psychology (which he himself had done much to develop in his "Principles of Psychology) were inconsistent with a spiritual view of life. These questions came to the fore for James in... Read Full Review

I can't help but think that the two reviewers from Los Angeles have got it wrong. Their claim seems to be that James allows us to believe whatever we desire despite evidence to the contrary. This couldn't be more wrong. One of James' central ideas is that the rational elements of man can only take him so far, that they can't answer all of life's questions, but this is not to say that we ought to do away with rationality... Read Full Review

An excellent rebuttal to the intellectualist assault on religion. William James, one of the greatest minds in Philosophy and one of the most important influences in psychology, uses his knowledge and dialectical skill to attack philosophers and scientists who belittle those who choose to believe in God. He defends the belief in God as being philosophically sound, and not the basis for condemnation or belittlement.