William James 🙆🏾‍♀️ (550)

Throughout the reading William James explained how values can influence someone’s beliefs. Values to me personally do influence someone’s belief system because as humans we are taught to uphold certain values and if someone disagrees with those values we are not always taught how to think or believe different. James’ explained that there are certain options to believing someone and or something. Those options included living or dead, forced or avoidable, and momentous or trivial. “A living option is one in which both hypotheses are live ones. If I say to you: “Be a theosophist or be a Mohammedan,” it is probably a dead option, because for you neither hypothesis is likely to be alive. But if I say: “Be an agnostic or be a Christian,” it is otherwise: trained as you are, each hypothesis makes some appeal, however small, to your belief” (James, 1). The Living option is when both hypotheses are live. The living option can be similar to a really good bribe, it would make the person your asking not want to say no. Example: Would you like to go with me to the store if I buy you two lollipops and chips? “Either accept this truth or go without it,” I put on you a forced option, for there is no standing place outside of the alternative. Every dilemma based on a complete logical disjunction, with no possibility of not choosing, is an option of this forced kind” (James, 1). The Forced option includes no real option. The forced option is good for persuasive conversations because it leaves the person your asking with no real choice. The forced option uses common sense to persuade the other person and or party. Example: Wear your jacket or go without it. The forced option suggests the best outcome of the situation while still posing it as a possibility to do something better. “Per contra, the option is trivial when the opportunity is not unique, when the stake is insignificant, or when the decision is reversible if it later prove unwise. Such trivial options abound in the scientific life” (James, 1). The Momentous option is literally a once and a lifetime option. This option most likely will not be offered again and is not common. This option would be rare and would most likely not ever be presented again. The momentous option would also include a risk that would challenge that would make the option seem not so ideal. Example: Would you like to go on an all expense paid trip to Ghana to research the trauma of the slave dungeons and the beginning process of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, while being paid only if you agree to living in the safari with no supplies? After the reading, I can say that I agree more with Clifford’s theory rather than James’ theory. Personally I agree with Clifford more because with evidence it is easier to make conclusions because everything about the subject is presented. Evidence allows no space for emotion either because evidence makes it easier to make sense of situations and or circumstances. Evidence is important, but who produces the evidence is just as important. When evidence is present there is no space for any fallacies to be presented, therefore making Clifford’s argument more sound and valid to me.