When comparing the two selections by W.K. Clifford and William James on the compatibility of faith and reason, I feel that both arguments make very valid points. However I do think, after careful reading and based on my own experience, that William James has the stronger argument.

William James' "The Will to Believe" claims that "Our passional nature not only lawfully may, but must, decide an option between propositions, whenever it is a genuine option that cannot by it's nature be decided on intellectual grounds." James' contention is that under certain circumstances, it is perfectly "legal" for a person to go ahead and believe something for which scientific evidence is lacking. To do so is not unreasonable. This argument makes itself useful in the religious hypothesis for the existence of God. James, himself, believed that there is a Greater Consciousness than that of human beings to which we are connected. Among other things, this Greater Consciousness cares about and preserves many of the things that we hold dear to us like love, truth, and justice. This is done so that the values possessed by these things continue to exist in the world rather than perishing with us when we die.

However, having said that, knowledge through belief - without personal evidence of truth, seems to be imperfect knowledge. But in other respects, what knowledge is ascertained through self-sufficient means? Do we not put our trust in interpersonal relationships and believe, without much evidence, certain things and take them to be the truth? Especially when it is a question of the essential truths of life which concern the person's inner depths. Nevertheless, the trust one places in the other person must not be blind. If one has reason to believe that he might be deceiving himself or deceiving me, I must make the few limited verifications accessible to me from the outside, by cross-checking, for example, with other sources of information. To be worthy of our reason as well as of the other person's freedom, "trust" must be enlightened, and, basing itself on "reasons to believe", it must also be rational. Consequently, the human quest for truth not only seeks the realization of limited truths and immediately useful truths; it also strives for an absolute truth, which is accessible by thought. Since it is vital for human existence, this ultimate truth will be reached, not only by pure reason, but also by enlightened trust in the testimony of others. Reason itself is not self-sufficient and needs certain trust, if it is to succeed in its search. (Reflections on the Holy Father's Encyclical Fides et Ratio, Bishop Andre-Mutien Leornard)

Some of James' argument has been used recently by Pope John Paul II. In his Reflections on 'Fides et Ratio,' the Pope claims that humans are seekers of truth. And during that quest, reason cannot sustain one alone. Whether it is a question of the truths of immediate experience or of scientific truth, of carefully developed philosophical thought or of an existentially lived idea, the search for truth is always accompanied by an act of faith. In fact, as social beings, humans are incapable of verifying

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ratio' Pope, According Clifford, God James, Ethics Belief, James' Believe, According James, William James, II Reflections, religious beliefs, God James', Faith Reason, faith reason, scientific evidence, william james, existence god, god's existence, belief god, enlightened trust testimony, religious experience, evidence truth, suspend belief, suspend belief god, compatibility faith reason, god james believed,
Approximate Word count = 1310
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)