The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Psychology is a
treatise by William James. It was published in 1897.
The
treatise sets out the philosophy of James about "radical empiricism" in relation to scientific and religious issues. His work as a
psychologist led him to emphasize the importance of instinct and to find a belief in absolute truth philosophically not possible to hold.
William James is the brother of the classic novelist Henry James. He is regarded by many as the greatest American philosopher and psychologist and pioneered many researches relating emotions, consciousness in relations to practical psychological problems.