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A profoundly influential figure in American psychology, William James (1842–1910) was also a philosopher of note, who used Charles S. Peirce's theories of pragmatism as a basis for his own conception of that influential philosophy. For James, this meant an emphasis on "radical empiricism" and the concept that the meaning of any idea — philosophical, political, social, or otherwise — has validity only in terms of its experiential and practical consequences.
James propounded his theories of pragmatism in this book, one of the most important in American philosophy. In a sense, he wished to test competing systems of thought in the "marketplace of actual experience" to determine their validity, i.e. whether adopting a particular philosophical theory or way of looking at the world makes an actual difference in individual conduct or in how we perceive and react to the varieties of experience. In these pages, James not only makes a strong case for his own ideas, but mounts a powerful attack against the transcendental and rationalist tradition.
For anyone interested in William James or the history of American philosophical thought, Pragmatism is an essential and thought provoking reference. In this handy, inexpensive edition, it will challenge and stimulate any thinking person.
- Sales Rank: #609551 in eBooks
- Published on: 2012-05-23
- Released on: 2012-05-23
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review
The meanings--twenty? thirty?--of "pragmatism" continue to be a central question in American philosophy and intellectual history. A chance to see the development and working of James's own mind from the inside, as it were, should do much to help us understand where he himself stood and what he himself meant...In brief, scholars, students, and the general reading public should all display an interest in a critical edition of James's works.
--Charles Frankel
About the Author
William James (1842–1910) was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher trained as a medical doctor. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and the philosophy of pragmatism. He was the brother of novelist Henry James and of diarist Alice James. William James was born at the Astor House in New York City. He was the son of Henry James Sr., an independently wealthy and notoriously eccentric Swedenborgian theologian well acquainted with the literary and intellectual elites of his day. The intellectual brilliance of the James family milieu and the remarkable epistolary talents of several of its members have made them a subject of continuing interest to historians, biographers, and critics.
Most helpful customer reviews
49 of 55 people found the following review helpful.
Differences
By A Customer
One is surprised to read in the first two reviews that James's pragmatism is a justification for relativism, nihilism, and even despotic tyranny. This evaluation comes from interpreting James in terms of utilitarianism, rather than understanding what he means by practical consequences. One will hear James claim in _Pragmatism_ that, "I am accustomed to put questions to my classes in this way: In what respects would the world be different if this alternative or that were true? If I can find nothing that would become different, then the alternative has no sense." The pragmatic maxim does not invite us to accept the most expedient point of view for the purpose of utility, but instead invites us to return to the world and experience in evaluating the nature of concepts. Thus, to adopt an example from Peirce, an application of the pragmatic maxim to a concept such as "salt" would lead us to look at the practical consequences of this concept for real world experience such as its hardness, seasoning capabilities, chemical nature, ability to combine with other elements, etc.. In other words, pragmatism, as James agrees, is also an empiricism. Given this, an application of the pragmatic maxim to the political concepts of democracy and fascism would indeed lead us to discern vast differences between the two doctrines and to ultimately reject the former by virtue of its practical consequences. In final analysis, _Pragmatism_ is a curative of philosophical abstractions which would ask us to turn away from empty first principles to see what difference those principles actually make in our actions and lives. Such an approach to philosophy would surely have the effect of clearing away much useless debate and of broadening our appreciation of difference and inquiry. As James says later in the book, "There can be no difference anywhere that doesn't make a difference elsewhere-- no difference in abstract truth that doesn't express itself in a difference in concrete fact and conduct consequent upon that fact, imposed on somebody, somehow, somewhere and somewhen. The whole function of philosophy ought to be to find out what definite difference it will make to you and me, at definite instants of our life, if this world-formula or that world-formula be the true one." Such a philosophy is truly timely in our increasingly multicultural age. The operative principle of pragmatism is not utilitarianism which can often be cold, cruel and heartless, but rather verification that demands of us that we return to experience to determine the difference that a conceptual difference makes. This book is an absolute must read for anyone interested in overcoming the abstractness of empty transcendental philosophies and who wish to see philosophy in its throbbing relavance for the life of action, ethics, and politics. In this respect, James stands shoulder to shoulder with the uncompromising and liberating philosophies of figures like Spinoza, Nietzsche, Bergson, Dewey, and Peirce.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
a brilliant tool for analysis: NOT a "guide for living"
By D. Ansoff
In the book Pragmatism William James offers one of his finest works; articulate, clear and funny. (See for example his analysis of monism and pluralism). One often wonders if writers who fail to speak plainly have anything to say. Happily James is the clearest of them all. It is especially amusing to see him poke fun at philosophers who take their cherished positions far too seriously.
It would be a mistake to misconstrue this work as the basis of a philsophy for living or even a pragmatic school of thought per se. Rather (as stated in the text) it offers a fresh analysis of major problems, including determinism, monism, pluralism, and reductionism. Full of wit and refreshing humor, this is a first-rate, brilliantly written guide to timeless issues in philosophy.
31 of 36 people found the following review helpful.
Brilliant! Buy it! Read it! Live it! Think it!
By peculiar
The superlatives trip off my tongue when I think about this book. In it Harvard psychologist and philosopher Willaim James propounds the substance (not much) and import (massive!) of his philosophical method: pragmatism. He got this method from his lifelong friend Charles Sanders Peirce and it boils down, quite simply, to doing nothing which doesn't make a difference in terms of outcomes; what works is what matters. Not that this simplicity boils over into simplisticness. James is an astute operator and is aware of what criticism shall come his way. Thus, in this series of lectures he addresses all the realist, essentialist and foundationalist philosophers with their abstract, universal and idealistic arguments and demonstrates that it is the pragmatist who takes our obligations seriously. The pragmatist is guided by the experience of the senses and the working body of truth each person carries with them and these are no small trifles. The pragmatist is not one who is free to make anything up (contrast the external realist who can say anything and claim what they like since its beyond verification / falsification).
So read this classic piece of American philosophical writing and be entertained, educated and edified all in one go. It has changed my approach to life.
PoSTmodERnFoOL
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