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William Clifford claims that “[i]t is wrong always, everywhere, and for every one, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence” (quoted in James, “The Will to Believe,” 8)

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William Clifford claims that “[i]t is wrong always, everywhere, and for every one, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence” (quoted in James, “The Will to Believe,” 8). William James counters that “[t]here are two ways of looking at our duty in the matter of opinion.... We must know the truth; and we must avoid error” (17). “Believe truth! Shun error!” he goes on—“these are...two materially different laws; and by choosing between them we may end by coloring differently our whole intellectual life” (18).

Two questions:

Is James right that these are “materially different laws”? As best you can, come up with an example where the exhortation to “believe truth!” parts ways from the exhortation to “shun error!” In other words, come up with an example where “shunning error” would lead you in one direction, “believing truth” in another.

James says that he finds it “impossible to go with Clifford” (18), who, as James reads him, prioritizes shunning error over believing truth. Are you with Clifford or James? Explain your preference through an example.