The Earth Is Flat Is Not a Live Hypothesis

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It's very different to believe that the earth is flat than it is to believe, you know, that the next coin flip will be whatever 50% chance of being heads or tails. He's sneaking something in already because it certainly is a live hypothesis for some people. That's why that's one reason I think in that distinction between a live hypothesis and a dead hypothesis. But he probably neither Clifford nor James give, I think in enough attention to the fact that they're really different.

David and Tamler argue about William James' classic essay "The Will to Believe." What's more important - avoiding falsehood or discovering truth? When (if ever) is it rational to believe anything without enough evidence? What about beliefs that we can't be agnostic about? Are there hypotheses that we have to believe in order for them to come true? Does James successfully demonstrate that faith can be rational?

Plus, a philosopher at Apple who's not allowed to talk to the media - what are they hiding? And why are academics constantly telling students that academia is a nightmare?

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