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Quote by William James

“Since belief is measured by action, he who forbids us to believe religion to be true, necessarily also forbids us to act as we should if we did believe it to be true.”

Quote by William James

Book:Essays in Popular Philosophy: Top Essays

Work

Essays in Popular Philosophy: Top Essays

This book compiles a selection of essays that delve into a range of philosophical subjects, offering insights and discussions suitable for readers with an interest in philosophy but without specialized knowledge. more

Author

William James, born on January 11, 1842, and died on August 26, 1910, was an influential American philosopher, psychologist, and writer. He is considered one of the founders of functionalism in psychology and has had a profound impact on the fields of psychology, philosophy, and religion. more

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“General scepticism is the live mental attitude of refusing to conclude. It is a permanent torpor of the will, renewing itself in detail towards each successive thesis that offers, and you can no more kill it off by logic than you can kill off obstinacy or practical joking.”

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Book:The Meaning of Truth: Human Understanding

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“Materialism means simply the denial that the moral order is eternal, and the cutting off of ultimate hopes; spiritualism means theaffirmation of an eternal moral order and the letting loose of hope.”

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“Even if matter could do every outward thing that God does, the idea of it would not work as satisfactorily, because the chief callfor a God on modern men's part is for a being who will inwardly recognize them and judge them sympathetically. Matter disappoints this craving of our ego, so God remains for most men the truer hypothesis, and indeed remains so for definite pragmatic reasons.”

Ifs Men Doe Ideas Matter Reason Modern Judging Ego Remains Chiefs Materialism Definite Hypothesis Craving Disappoint Pragmatic Modern Man Theism

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“... no bell in us tolls to let us know for certain when truth is in our grasp.”

Knows Certain Truth Is Certainty Bells Tolls

Book:James and Dewey on Belief and Experience

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“What a magnificent land and race is this Britain! Everything about them is of better quality than the corresponding thing in the U.S.... Yet I believe (or suspect) that ours is eventually the bigger destiny, if we can only succeed in living up to it.”

Ifs Believe I Believe Race Quality Destiny Land Succeed Bigger Britain Suspects Magnificent Corresponding

Book:The Selected Letters of William James

Source: The Selected Letters of William James

“Intellectualism' is the belief that our mind comes upon a world complete in itself, and has the duty of ascertaining its contents; but has no power of re-determining its character, for that is already given.”

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Book:Some Problems of Philosophy

Source: Some Problems of Philosophy

“If I was to direct Ron Howard, I guarantee you, I would put him through a living hell every day. I would demand so much of him. We wouldn't quit until he leaves the set crying. Weeping! Spent!”

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“... the intellect, everywhere invasive, shows everywhere its shallowing effect.”

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“The old question of whether there is design is idle. The real question is what is the world, whether or not it have a designer--and that can be revealed only by the study of all nature's particulars.”

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“Mental fire is what won't burn real sticks; mental water is what won't necessarily (though of course it may) put out even a mentalfire.”

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