A Philosophical Look Into Religion And Freewill In The Light Of James William

A Philosophical Look Into Religion And Freewill In The Light Of James William

Chapter One

Preface

There are two good effects in life freedom of study and freedom of action( 1). In the whole world man is the only being that’s condemned by its nature to be free as well as to be religious. So by nature man is endowed with the power of the will just as he’s inversely endowed with religious tendency.

Freewill in the simplest term means the freedom to make choice. also, man in his own veritably nature can not liberate himself from the thrall of making choice. In the same tone man is inversely held bound by religious tie, so man can not but be religious. For man to choose else, is formerly a choice of its own and a religion of its own. That’s why I maintain that man is condemned to be free and inversely religious. No wonder Jean Paul Sartre asserts.

I’m condemned to be free. This means no limit to my freedom can be set up except freedom itself, or if you prefer, that we aren’t free to cease being free. 2

It seems unbelievable to imagine a world without volunteer, that type of world should be devoid of discipline and price. This is because in such a deterministic world, what ought to be will come to be, at the time it was fated to be, and through the agent it was fated to come through.

still this freedom man enjoys isn’t unconnected to the very fact that man is the only being endowed with a conscious allowing faculty. Ekwutosi has this to say” that mortal act is the result of a complex process in which the decisive point is the will after a deliberation of the intellect. Specifically mortal action possesses the following native rates knowledge, voluntary/ freedom. 3

This question of accord is ontological to man. To talk of man without volunteer, is to produce a different kind of being which can not enthrall the “ status quo ” of man. So it’s a contradictio in terminis to talk of man without accord. No wonder the issue of freedom was given a high position in the constitution of United States of America. In the first ten emendations known together as the bill of rights, it easily stipulates similar introductory rights as the freedom of speech, of religion and of press. Deleuze said that The doom of Europe is prognosticated because with the death of God and religion from their life and culture, a period of insecurity, pretension, emptiness and darkness setsin4.This goes to emphasize the significance and ineluctable part of religion in mortal life. No wonder Omoregbe asserts that

religion is similar a sticking and intriguing marvels to mortal life that it can not be ignored indeed by sceptics, pessimists or the atheists. There’s no miracle which moulds and controls man’s life as much as religion does. Men have given up not only their life but indeed their effects for their religious beliefs—– therefore religion has such a important grip on man that it can not be ignored in mortal society5

Then we aren’t going to give a detailed account of volunteer and religion, but will do so in posterior chapters. So let us have an sapience into William James view.

William James was a New York born realistic champion. He started from physiology to psychology and eventually to gospel. still, just like other proponents didn’t rationalize in insulation; his coevals include Charles Sanders Pierce and John Dewey. They’re known as classical pragmatists. also, we may not be suitable to understand William James unless we’re at home with his realistic proposition, which serves as a gate way to all other of his gospel.

This word pragmatism has a rich elaboration; Pierce deduced the word from Kant’s operation of German word “ pragmatisch ”. He also applied it to an empirical condition which was innovated by three American proponents Charles Sanders Pierce, William James and John Dewey. Three of them fought to save gospel from metaphysical idealism, and inversely save religious and moral ideals from empiric, positivist scepticism. still, the three classical pragmatists had veritably different philosophical enterprises, though they still partake one foundation, and that’s pragmatism. This their realistic proposition manifested in every of their philosophical bid, that’s why James who was more interested in religion said that a belief in God is at least virtually vindicated if it provides comfort to the religionist, the satisfactory consequence of holding the belief as well as of the proposition believed are to constitute verification6

Pragmatism concerns itself with purposeful action and the interplay of proposition and practice. It stresses on what James called cash value of beliefs. In all, pragmatism can be defined as a gospel that attempts to apply the styles of wisdom to gospel, its central idea is that the meaning and verity of an idea are determined by the idea’s effect in practice and conduct.7

Having gathered some indebt knowledge to what I’m going to examine, let me also stipulate the pattern the long essay will take. This work is composed of four major chapters. The chapter one includes the following; preface, statement of problem, purpose of studies, compass of study and methodology. Chapter two will be applied in exposing the nature and notion of religion and volunteer, their origin, their characteristic features and their functions. The third chapter will be a critical analysis of the religious experience, Mystical experience as a base for belief about God, problem of religious experience, William James realistic religious experience, and William James realistic verdict. Having gone therefore far, the chapter four will be a critical evaluation and conclusion.

Statement Of Problem

I’ve come to find out through history that nearly all the wars and hostility that ruin the world have either profitable or religious motive. Casting a look back to the Roman Empire, we will observe that utmost of the wars they fought had a religious motive. The last straw that broke the Camel’s reverse was;

The fall of Roman Empire in 476 steered in a period of intellectual darkness. The heathens who destroyed the political muscle of Rome also shattered the institutions of culture in Western Europe. Learning came nearly to a halt.8

The Romans ’ and the Heathens were of different negative religious background. So In the medieval period the Heathens destroyed Rome and made away with nearly the whole body of ancient literature. The Heathens signifies the Muslim world while Europe signifies the Christian world. Indeed the September, 11th 2001 self-murder bombing that destroyed the world Trade Centre has attestations of religious partisanship. therefore Bush in his speech after the attack said that the adversary tries to hide behind a peaceful faith.9

Narrowing it down to Nigerian experience, Nigeria has Muslim and Christian persuasions. The country has endured series of rancours, some times it’s described as ethnical wars. But a critical bystander will understand that it has a lot of religious sentiments attached to it. This is because churches will always be burnt at each squabble. This hassle isn’t just among different persuasions but it’s inversely present among different appellations of one religion. As a result of this numerous families are put apart. It seems absurd that it’s in the name of this same religion, which is meant to be an avenue of peace that mortal beings kill one another. One race bracing up to wipe another from the face of earth.

Having said this, the problematic and perplexing question remains how free is one to exercise his religious beliefs without overdue mischiefs from other religious sets? Is there any need for religious forbearance? The onerous task of this exploration is to proffer a lasting nostrum to the problems raised above. In the course of this analysis we shall have expedient to the study of William James as a companion.

Purpose Of Studies

What beats my imagination is that man is a being that enjoys freedom of choice, yet this same man will like to force his fellow man to do commodity contrary to his own will. This particular problem rears its head most in the religious circle. This problem amounts to some of the persuasions regarding others as different warring camp, so they’re opponents and not sisters therefore they relate to them as similar. In this long essay there’s inversely a completex-ray on that which motivates people to glory in turning religion which suppose to be an avenue of family, nation and indeed world peace to a channel of war and fermentation. still I’m not trying to endorse that people should borrow a private and different believing station, within and in the same religious matter and of the same religious side. Rather I’m trying to justify the right and freedom of different religious sets to borrow a private believing station in their religious matters. Not opposing that our simply logical intellect may not have been constrained.

At the end, I hope I’ll be suitable to stipulate the law that will help people of different persuasions to understand each other better. Thereby barring all the gratuitous enmity operating among people of different persuasions. In order for them to see each other as children of the same father heading towards a particular fortune. Though William James proposition on volunteer and religion will serve as a companion as I make this analysis.

Compass Of Study

There’s no mistrustfulness that the field of religion and accord is a veritably vast bone . still I’m concerned with the exposition of the donation of William James on the issue of religion and accord. But I’ll adopt applicable ideas from proponents whose workshop are within the confines of religion and accord. After which I’ll make my analysis by a way of evaluation and conclusion.

Methodology

The approach I’m employing in this long essay is that of critical exposition, and evaluation. also, the deep station of thinking and rational scrutiny employed in carrying out this task, will make itself apparent in the assessment of religion and accord. Inversely the intellectual exercise will be proved by how far, I’m suitable to attune the two generalities. Accordingly offering practical results that will help get relieve of religious rancour.

1)T. Schick. Jr. Doing Philosophy an preface through Thought Experiment,{ New York McGraw- Hill CompaniesInc. 1999}p. 133.

2 Ibid p, 163.

3 C Ekwutosi, lecture note on mortal conduct, Pope John Paul major seminary Awka, 2004,P.i.

4G. Deleuze, Nietzsche And Philosophy, Hugh Tomlinsom{ London The Athlone Press, 1983}P. 156

5J. Omoregbe, A Philosophical look at Religion,( Lagos Joja Edu. exploration and cantina . Ltd, Ikeja Nig, 2003),P. xiii

6 “ Encyclopedia Americana,Vol. 22 runner 70 transnational edition p 60 ”

7 “ World book encyclopedia, world book Inc,( Chicago 233 North Michigan), p 60 ”

8 E, Stumpf, gospel History and Problem,{U. S. A McGraw- Hill International 1994},p. 151

9 confer,www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/11/20011108-13.html