-A defense of belief in the existence of God even in the face of lack of logical evidence.

Hypothesis - anything proposed to our belief.

    Hypotheses are either live or dead.  "Live" and "dead" are relative terms - relative to the individual who has them to consider.  Believing in Zeus's existence probably isn't a "live" option for us.

Option - decision made between hypotheses.
 
    Options are either:
        living or dead
        forced or avoidable
        momentous or trivial

What sort of option is religion, or belief in the existence of God?

    WJ's position:  Our passional nature may and must decide questions when it is a genuine option that cannot be decided on purely intellectual grounds.  Not to decide is itself a passional decision and is attended with the same risk of losing the truth.
    There are two "commandments" of all knowers - we must know the truth and we must avoid error.

    In the realm of moral truth, science can tell us what IS the case, but it can tell us NOTHING about the worth of an action or a thing.  We should, then, consult our hearts and do as Pascal says.

    For James, it is more important to know the truth than to avoid error.  There are worse things than making a mistake.

    Religion basically tells us this:
        1.  The best things are the more eternal things
                    This cannot be verified in our experience.
        2.  We are better off NOW if we believe (1) to be true.
                    This is what makes religion/God a momentous option.  If we reject (1) we MAY avoid error; but we also lose the benefit of (2) in this life.

    Sometimes, people cannot understand the choices other people make and think sometimes that what another person has chosen is simply ABSURDITY.  So, for example, the atheist may think that the theist's belief is ABSURD.  James's reply:  "If a man chooses to turn his back altogether on God and the future, no one can prevent him; no one can show beyond reasonable doubt that he is mistaken.  If a man thinks otherwise and acts as he thinks, I do not see that anyone can prove that he is mistaken.  Each must act as he thinks best; and if he is wrong, so much the worse for him."

William James's Justification of Moral and Religious Belief
    When a person holds a belief that satisfies a great and compelling need, the 'vital good' supplied by the belief in the life of the person justifies the belief.  In essence, then, James holds that a belief is justified when
        1.  The option is live, forced, and momentous
        2.  The evidence for the hypothesis chosen is about equal to the evidence against it.
        3.  There are significant effects on the person who is choosing.

What is the 'vital good' supplied by moral or religious belief?