William James: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from William James, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

You don't run because you're afraid — you feel afraid because you're running
William James and Carl Lange independently proposed, in the 1880s, that emotion isn't what causes a bodily reaction — it's the reverse. See a bear, your body reacts first (racing h…
— William James, What is an Emotion?
James said it's rational to believe ahead of the evidence — sometimes
When a choice is forced, can't be settled by evidence either way, and matters enough that waiting is itself a choice, James argued you're entitled to let your passional nature deci…
— William James, The Will to Believe

Five ideas worth knowing, every week