Doubt Quote by William James
““It is as if a man should hesitate indefinitely to ask a certain woman to marry him because he was not perfectly sure that she would prove an angel after he brought her home. Would he not cut himself off from that particular angel-possibility as decisively as if he went and married some one else? Scepticism, then, is not avoidance of option; it is option of a certain particular kind of risk. Better risk loss of truth than chance of error,-that is your faith-vetoer's exact position. He is actively playing his stake as much as the believer is; he is backing the field against the religious hypothesis, just as the believer is backing the religious hypothesis against the field.””
About This Quote
Source Lecture: The Will to Believe, 1896
Skepticism isn’t avoidance but a calculated risk; choosing belief involves weighing truth against error.
In simple terms: Choosing belief is a risk.
Key Takeaway
Weigh truth against possible error.
Themes
belief
skepticism
risk
philosophy
Mood
analytical
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- making life choices
- religious decisions
- ethical dilemmas
- personal convictions
Key Concepts
epistemology
faith
decision theory
Questions to Reflect On
- What risks do you take in believing?
- How do you balance truth and error?
A Different Perspective
Risk of belief may lead to falsehoods.
