Introduction

Abstract

The essays collected in this volume seek to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive account of William James’ philosophy of religion. The volume is divided into two parts. The first part discusses James’ pragmatism and his philosophy of religion at a relatively general level, while the second one focuses on his best-known idea in this field, the ‘will to believe’ argument. Some of the essays are primarily historical, aiming at a careful scholarly interpretation of certain aspects of James’ philosophy of religion (in relation to his ideas in related fields, such as general metaphysics and epistemology, as well as ethics); others focus on a more systematic application of James’ views to key topics in this area of philosophy, including the issue of realism and the ethics of belief.