The Will to Believe by William James

The Joker's Social Experiment

“The Will to Believe” can be looked at as a response to Clifford’s “The Ethics of Belief”. Clifford, as we have previously read, states that we should not believe anything that lacks sufficient evidence, whereas James suggests that our reasoning uses other considerations apart from what the evidence may point to, and if our goal is to have true beliefs then we must sometimes take the risk of believing without strong evidence.

                James says that believing is not something that always comes from a rational thought process, and it would be nearly impossible to make someone believe something that they already know is not true. This idea also disregards Pascal’s notion of “deciding” to believe something simply because it offers a positive outcome. Pure logic does not dictate belief. There is a genuine option that cannot be decided by intellectual grounds alone; passionate and emotional parts need to be present as well.

                Many people will argue that it is better to make a decision based on evidence. James agrees with this to a certain extent, however, there are infinite instances where there is simply not enough time to judge based on proof and evidence in order to make a decision.

In the scene from The Dark Knight, the people had to make an extremely difficult moral decision. Some would argue that the rational thing to do would be to destroy the other ferry in order to save their own lives. The civilians could, perhaps, take peace in the fact that the lives they were destroying were that of prisoners, not “good” people like themselves; just as the woman said, “Those men had their chance.”  In a logical and instinctual way of thinking, one would want to save their own life rather than be killed. However, logic, instinct, and reason are not the only variables present and cannot be used to come to a conclusion. This is a judgment based off of emotion and passion as well.  In the end both boats made a morally conscious decision without using sound logic or proof alone.  They had to put their trust in the people they did not know to do the same.

James discusses that in society it is crucial that people cooperate and that it is useful, and sometimes essential, that people trust each other when there is not proof or evidence that people are trustworthy. There are times where one must act without evidence or proof. We see that clearly in The Joker’s “Social Experiment”.

Religion, just like the decision in the scene from The Dark Knight, is a live, forced, and momentous option.  Either option is distinctly relatable to you, you must choose one for remaining idle is not an option, and the final outcome will have a large effect on you.  In religion even choosing not to believe or not to act is making a decision, for you will not gain what believers do if religion is, in fact, true; just like in the scene, not acting had consequences as well. So whether you chose to believe, not to believe, or remain undecided, you make a choice in choosing your fate and your peril.

What would you have done on the ferry?

How can we trust others without knowing that they are trustworthy?

Is believing without evidence responsible?

Is believing a choice?