The Writings of William James PDF Download

Author: John J. McDermott
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0307824799
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 1388

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Book Description
A comprehensive collection of writings by the legendary philosopher, whose sweeping body of work influenced our ideas about psychology, religion, free will, and pragmatism. In his introduction to this collection, John McDermott presents James's thinking in all its manifestations, stressing the importance of radical empiricism and placing into perspective the doctrines of pragmatism and the will to believe. The critical periods of James's life are highlighted to illuminate the development of his philosophical and psychological thought. The anthology features representative selections from The Principles of Psychology, The Will to Believe, and The Variety of Religious Experience in addition to the complete Essays in Radical Empiricism and A Pluralistic Universe. The original 1907 edition of Pragmatism is included, as well as classic selections from all of James's other major works. Of particular significance for James scholarship is the supplemented version of Ralph Barton Perry's Annotated Bibliography of the Writings of William James.

Author: William James
Publisher: DigiCat
ISBN:
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 445

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Book Description
"Psychology: Briefer Course" is a book by William James, an American philosopher and psychologist, which covers a large number of topics, but some topics stand out as being more useful and applicable than others particularly the sections on stream of consciousness, emotion, habit, and will. This book lays the basic understanding of the idea of psychology and presents a study of human psychology and everything worth knowing about the subject, including the definition of psychology, general sensation, touch, sight, hearing, and other things influenced by the subject.

Author: William James
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674548268
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 758

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Book Description
This final volume of The Works of William James provides a full record of James's teaching career at Harvard from 1872-1907. It includes working notes for lectures in more than 20 courses. Because his teaching was closely involved with the development of his thought, this material adds a new dimension to our understanding of his philosophy.

Author: Robert D. Richardson
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0547526733
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 638

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Book Description
The definitive biography of the fascinating William James, whose life and writing put an indelible stamp on psychology, philosophy, teaching, and religion—on modernism itself. Often cited as the “father of American psychology,” William James was an intellectual luminary who made significant contributions to at least five fields: psychology, philosophy, religious studies, teaching, and literature. A member of one of the most unusual and notable of American families, James struggled to achieve greatness amid the brilliance of his theologian father; his brother, the novelist Henry James; and his sister, Alice James. After studying medicine, he ultimately realized that his true interests lay in philosophy and psychology, a choice that guided his storied career at Harvard, where he taught some of America’s greatest minds. But it is James’s contributions to intellectual study that reveal the true complexity of man. In this biography that seeks to understand James’s life through his work—including Principles of Psychology, The Varieties of Religious Experience, and Pragmatism—Robert D. Richardson has crafted an exceptionally insightful work that explores the mind of a genius, resulting in “a gripping and often inspiring story of intellectual and spiritual adventure” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “A magnificent biography.” —The Washington Post

Author: William James
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674267350
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
Essays in Religion and Morality brings together a dozen papers of varying length to these two themes so crucial to the life and thought of William James. Reflections on the two subjects permeate, first, James's presentation of his father's Literary Remains; second, his writings on human immortality and the relation between reason and faith; third, his two memorial pieces, one on Robert Gould Shaw and the other on Emerson; fourth, his consideration of the energies and powers of human life; and last, his writings on the possibilities of peace, especially as found in his famous essay "The Moral Equivalent of War." These speeches and essays were written over a period of twenty-four years. The fact that James did not collect and publish them himself in a single volume does not reflect on their intrinsic worth or on their importance in James's philosophical work, since they include some of the best known and most influential of his writings. All the essays, throughout their varied subject matter, are consistently and characteristically Jamesian in the freshness of their attack on the problems and failings of humankind and in their steady faith in human powers.

Author: William James
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description

Author: William James
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674267084
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 728

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Book Description
The more than 50 articles, essays, and reviews collected here for the first time were published by James over a span of some 25 years. The record of a sustained interest in phenomena of a highly controversial nature, they make it amply clear that James's work in psychical research was not an eccentric hobby but a serious and sympathetic concern.

Author: John R. Shook
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1616144408
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 437

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Book Description
William James (1842-1910) was one of the most original and influential American thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a professor at Harvard University he published many works that had a wide-ranging impact on both psychology and philosophy. His Principles of Psychology was the most important English-language work on the mind since Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding. His Varieties of Religious Experience practically inaugurated the field of psychology of religion, and it also remains a major inspiration for philosophy of religion. Perhaps most importantly, James publicized the movement of pragmatism and supplied much of its powerful momentum. This book covers the primary topics for which James is still closely studied: the nature of experience; the functions of the mind; the criteria for knowledge; the definition of "truth"; the ethical life; and the religious life. His notable terms, still resonating in their respective fields, are all here, from the "stream of consciousness" and "pure experience" to the "will to believe," the "cash-value of truth," and the distinction between the religiously "healthy soul" and the "sick soul." This volume's eighteen selections receive the bulk of the attention and citation from scholars, provide excellent coverage of core topics, and have a broad appeal across many academic disciplines. This well-organized compilation of James's important writings offers an exciting and fascinating tour for both the casual reader and the dedicated student interested in philosophy, psychology, religious studies, American studies, or any related field.

Author: William James
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This edition of William James' masterwork, The Principles of Psychology, contains his original notes, illustrations, tables and charts which clarify the theory described and arguments made. Appearing in 1890, The Principles of Psychology was a landmark text which established psychology as a serious scientific discipline. William James' compiled a convincing, lengthy and broad thesis, devoting detail and vigorous analysis in every chapter. The text's comprehensiveness and superb presentation played a pivotal role in bringing the science of mental health closer toward the scholarly mainstream. The entire book is set out intuitively: there are two volumes, each of which has a certain number of chapters. While some chapters have sub-sections, James is careful not to make his textbook dry or convoluted in organisation. Each chapter introduces, discusses and concludes on a particular subject - whether it be the role of psychology as an academic and medical discipline, or the various functions of the human brain. Well-read and familiar with the books of his forerunners, William James nevertheless bristles with originality. Although the reader might be tempted to set aside the book for fear of it being outdated, this attitude is unjustified: the ideas pioneered by James remain as intellectually fresh and thought provoking as they did at the conclusion of the 19th century. The one area of the book belonging firmly in the past - namely the neurological experiments upon animals - stands distinct from the remainder of the principle text. Although the science of psychology has progressed enormously since William James published this book, The Principles of Psychology remains a supplementary text in many psychology courses in universities around the world. Concepts which James established, and his personal work on the spiritual element of human psychology, have and continue to inspire new books and theses by professionals and scholars in the field. William James also summarizes and presents the ideas of other, earlier figures working in the field, some of whom he admires, others he considers with disdain. All however receive hearing and citation in The Principles of Psychology. The aim for retrospective richness, as well as breadth across every major subject important in the field, further sets this textbook apart. Unlike other, abridged versions of The Principles of Psychology, this edition contains the entire text together with the many drawings and diagrams James appended in an effort to communicate better his notions. His notes are also present, and are organised and appended at the conclusion of each chapter for the reader to conveniently reference.

Author: William James
Publisher: Library of America
ISBN: 9780940450387
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 1410

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Book Description
Philosopher and psychologist William James was the best known and most influential American thinker of his time. The five books and nineteen essays collected in this Library of America volume represent all his major work from 1902 until his death in 1910. Most were originally written as lectures addressed to general audiences as well as philosophers and were received with great enthusiasm. His writing is clear, energetic, and unpretentious, and is marked by the devotion to literary excellence he shared with his brother, Henry James. In these works William James champions the value of individual experience with an eloquence and enthusiasm that has placed him alongside Emerson and Whitman as a classic exponent of American democratic culture. In The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902) James explores “the very inner citadel of human life” by focusing on intensely religious individuals of different cultures and eras. With insight, compassion, and open-mindedness, he examines and assesses their beliefs, seeking to measure religion’s value by its contributions to individual human lives. In Pragmatism (1907) James suggests that the conflicting metaphysical positions of “tender-minded” rationalism and “tough-minded” empiricism be judged by examining their actual consequences. Philosophy, James argues, should free itself from unexamined principles and closed systems and confront reality with complete openness. In A Pluralistic Universe (1909) James rejects the concept of the absolute and calls on philosophers to respond to “the real concrete sensible flux of life.” Through his discussion of Kant, Hegel, Henri Bergson, and religion, James explores a universe viewed not as an abstract “block” but as a rich “manyness-in-oneness,” full of independent yet connected events. The Meaning of Truth (1909) is a polemical collection of essays asserting that ideas are made true not by inherent qualities but by events. James delights in intellectual combat, stating his positions with vigor while remaining open to opposing ideas. Some Problems of Philosophy (1910) was intended by James to serve both as a historical overview of metaphysics and as a systematic statement of his philosophical beliefs. Though unfinished at his death, it fully demonstrates the psychological insight and literary vividness James brought to philosophy. Among the essays included are the anti-imperialist “Address on the Philippine Question,” “On Some Mental Effects of the Earthquake,” a candid personal account of the 1906 California disaster, and “The Moral Equivalent of War,” a call for the redirection of martial energies to peaceful ends, as well as essays on Emerson, the role of university in intellectual life, and psychic research. LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nation’s literary heritage by publishing, and keeping permanently in print, America’s best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date, authoritative editions that average 1,000 pages in length, feature cloth covers, sewn bindings, and ribbon markers, and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.