 James acknowledges that choosing under such circumstances entails risk – one might, after all, be wrong – but he denies that one can avoid or reduce this risk by refusing to choose. Skepticism – i.e., the refusal to choose – is just as risky as commitment. Furthermore, all such postures are inevitably – and, indeed, completely appropriately – shaped by one’s passions: not deciding is just as much a matter of emotion as deciding, insofar as it is motivated by the fear of being wrong rather than the hope of being right. But, James contends, there is no rational basis for preferring fear over hope.