Was William James a religious skeptic?
While I explored the subjective experiences of religious belief in *The Varieties of Religious Experience*, I was not necessarily a skeptic. Rather, I was deeply interested in the psychological and practical effects of such beliefs on individuals. I argued that the 'will to believe' is sometimes a legitimate stance, that certain beliefs, though not empirically provable, may be necessary for a full and meaningful life, and their value is demonstrated by their consequences.
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