William James, The Will To Be - Certitude And Truth - Sadler's Lectures episode artwork

EPISODE · May 11, 2024 · 21 MIN

William James, The Will To Be - Certitude And Truth - Sadler's Lectures

from Sadler's Lectures · host Lectures on classic and contemporary philosophical texts and thinkers by Gregory B. Sadler

This lecture discusses the 19th-20th century philosopher and psychologist, William James, and focuses on his essay, "The Will To Believe". Specifically it discusses the relationship between certitude or certainty and truth. James distinguishes two different orientations towards these, which he calls empiricism and absolutism. Absolutism holds that we can attain some absolute certainty, and that we can know with certainty that we know the truth. Empiricism about philosophy notes that there is no criterion for truth about which there has been a consensus. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler Purchase The Writings of William James - amzn.to/2X4J9kY

This lecture discusses the 19th-20th century philosopher and psychologist, William James, and focuses on his essay, "The Will To Believe". Specifically it discusses the relationship between certitude or certainty and truth. James distinguishes two different orientations towards these, which he calls empiricism and absolutism. Absolutism holds that we can attain some absolute certainty, and that we can know with certainty that we know the truth. Empiricism about philosophy notes that there is no criterion for truth about which there has been a consensus. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler Purchase The Writings of William James - amzn.to/2X4J9kY

NOW PLAYING

William James, The Will To Be - Certitude And Truth - Sadler's Lectures

0:00 21:30

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Sadler's Lectures?

This episode is 21 minutes long.

When was this Sadler's Lectures episode published?

This episode was published on May 11, 2024.

What is this episode about?

This lecture discusses the 19th-20th century philosopher and psychologist, William James, and focuses on his essay, "The Will To Believe". Specifically it discusses the relationship between certitude or certainty and truth. James distinguishes two...

Can I download this Sadler's Lectures episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!