William James on the Courage to Believe (American philosophy series ; no. 8)

William James's celebrated lecture on "The Will to Believe" has kindled spirited controversy since the day it was delivered. In this lively reappraisal of that controversy, Father O'Connell contributes some fresh contentions: that James's argument should be viewed against his indebtedness to Pascal and Renouvier; that it works primarily to validate our "over-beliefs"; and most surprising perhaps, that James envisages our "passional nature" as intervening, not after, but before and throughout, our intellectual weighting of the evidence for belief. For this second edition, Father O'Connell has added extensively to sharpen his arguments: that James's "deontological streak" saves him from "wishful thinking" and weaves together the attitudes of right, readiness, willingness, and will to believe, and that "willing faith" lends "the facts" their aura of believability. Frontmatter Preface (page ix) Acknowledgments (page xi) Abbreviations (page xiii) Introduction (page 1) 1. The Argument of "The Will to Believe" (page 7) 2. On Matter and Manner (page 23) 3. James and Pascal (page 33) 4. Is It "Wishful Thinking"? (page 53) 5. Outcomes and Over-beliefs (page 70) 6. The Precursive Force of Over-beliefs (page 84) 7. The Strata of the Passional (page 92) 8. The Metaphors of Belief (page 107) Epilogue: On Becoming Humanly Wise (page 123) Appendix A: "The Will to Believe" and James's "Deontological Streak" (page 135) Appendix B: Faith and Facts in James's "Will to Believe" (page 159) Appendix C: James's Voluntarism: Readiness, Willingness, or Will to Believe? (page 189) Index (page 219)
William James' celebrated lecture on The Will to Believehas kindled spirited controversy since the day it was delivered. In this lively reappraisal of that controversy, Father O'Connell contributes some fresh contentions: that James' argument should be viewed against his indebtedness to Pascal and Renouvier; that it works primarily to validate our over-beliefs; and most surprising perhaps, that James envisages our passional natureas intervening, not after, but before and throughout, our intellectual weighing of the evidence for belief. William James' celebrated lecture on "The Will to Believe" has kindled spirited controversy since the day it was delivered. In this title, the author contributes some fresh contentions: that James' argument should be viewed against his indebtedness to Pascal and Renouvier; that it works primarily to validate our over-beliefs. Robert J. O'connell. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.