“What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the wish to find out, which is the exact opposite of the will to believe. Skepticism—to use the term in the philosophical sense—may be defined as the demand for adequate evidence. It is the opposite of dogmatism.”
—
Bertrand Russell
Free Thought and Official Propaganda (1922); also Skeptical Essays (1928)
Commentary
Russell criticizes William James's 'will to believe.' Russell insists on skepticism as a philosophical method: demand evidence before assenting. This is not mere doubt but active inquiry. Dogmatism—believing without adequate evidence—is the opposite.
This principle undergirds Russell's scientific worldview and his critique of religion. It's not anti-religious so much as demanding that religious claims meet the same evidentiary standards as scientific claims. This remains central to contemporary debates about faith and reason.
Commentary
Russell criticizes William James's 'will to believe.' Russell insists on skepticism as a philosophical method: demand evidence before assenting. This is not mere doubt but active inquiry. Dogmatism—believing without adequate evidence—is the opposite.
This principle undergirds Russell's scientific worldview and his critique of religion. It's not anti-religious so much as demanding that religious claims meet the same evidentiary standards as scientific claims. This remains central to contemporary debates about faith and reason.