Ideas from 'The Sentiment of Rationality' by William James [1882], by Theme Structure

[found in 'Selected Writings of William James' by James,William (ed/tr Bird,Graham) [Everyman 1995,0-460-87557-4]].

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1. Philosophy / A. Wisdom / 1. Nature of Wisdom

22659

It is wisdom to believe what you desire, because belief is needed to achieve it

1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 1. Philosophy

22657

All good philosophers start from a dumb conviction about which truths can be revealed

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 3. Metaphysical Systems

22647

A complete system is just a classification of the whole world's ingredients

2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 5. Objectivity

22648

A single explanation must have a single point of view

2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 6. Ockham's Razor

22644

Our greatest pleasure is the economy of reducing chaotic facts to one single fact

7. Existence / E. Categories / 2. Categorisation

22649

Classification can only ever be for a particular purpose

14. Science / A. Basis of Science / 1. Observation

22655

Scientific genius extracts more than other people from the same evidence

14. Science / A. Basis of Science / 6. Falsification

22658

Experimenters assume the theory is true, and stick to it as long as result don't disappoint

14. Science / C. Induction / 3. Limits of Induction

22654

We can't know if the laws of nature are stable, but we must postulate it or assume it

14. Science / C. Induction / 6. Bayes's Theorem

22656

Trying to assess probabilities by mere calculation is absurd and impossible

14. Science / D. Explanation / 2. Types of Explanation / j. Explanations by reduction

22646

We have a passion for knowing the parts of something, rather than the whole

15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 1. Mind / b. Purpose of mind

22652

The mind has evolved entirely for practical interests, seen in our reflex actions

15. Nature of Minds / A. Nature of Mind / 7. Animal Minds

22651

Dogs' curiosity only concerns what will happen next

18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 5. Rationality / a. Rationality

22650

How can the ground of rationality be itself rational?

18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 5. Rationality / b. Human rationality

22643

It seems that we feel rational when we detect no irrationality

22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / d. Biological ethics

22660

Evolution suggests prevailing or survival as a new criterion of right and wrong

26. Natural Theory / C. Causation / 8. Particular Causation / d. Selecting the cause

22645

Understanding by means of causes is useless if they are not reduced to a minimum number

29. Religion / B. Monotheistic Religion / 4. Christianity / a. Christianity

22653

Early Christianity says God recognises the neglected weak and tender impulses