Pragmatism

William James

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780486282701
• eBook ISBN: 9780486114217
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: North American Literary Collections
• Index: Literature

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.

William James

Pragmatism

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.

Unabridged Dover (1994) republication of a standard edition.

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1

John Dewey (1859—1952), American philosopher, psychologist and educator; one of the founders of the Pragmatist school. Studies in Logical Theory, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1903.

2

Ferdinand Canning Scott Schiller (1864—1937), British Pragmatist philosopher. Studies in Humanism, Macmillan, London, 1907.

3

Gaston Samuel Milhaud (1858—1918), French Pragmatist philosopher. Le Rationnel, Félix Alcan, Paris, 1898.

4

Edouard Le Roy (1870—1954), French Pragmatist philosopher.

5

Maurice Blondel (1861—1949), French Pragmatist philosopher who sometimes assumed the nom de plume Bernard de Sailly.

6

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874—1936), English journalist and author.

7

Rightly or wrongly.

8

Thomas Hill Green (1836—1882), English philosopher.

Edward Caird (1835—1908), Scottish philosopher.

John Caird (1820—1898), Scottish philosopher and theologian.

Bernard Bosanquet (1848—1923), English philosopher and teacher.

Josiah Royce (1855—1916), American philosopher.

9

James Martineau (1805—1900), English Unitarian clergyman.

Borden Parker Bowne (1847—1910), American educationist and philosopher.

George Turnbull Ladd (1842—1921), American philosopher, psychologist and minister.

10

That which is sought after.

11

Morrison Isaac Swift (1856— ? ), American anarchist.

12

The World and the Individual, (2 vols.) Macmillan, New York, 1899—1901.

13

Francis Herbert Bradley (1846—1924), English philosopher. Appearance and Reality, Swan, Sonnenschein, London, 1893.

14

Morrison I. Swift, Human Submission, Part Second, Philadelphia, Liberty Press, 1905, pp. 4—10.

15

“Instead of living nature, into which God created people”; from Goethe’s Faust.

16

Translated in the Revue Philosophique for January, 1879 (vol. vii).

17

George Holmes Howison (1834—1916), American philosopher.

18

Wilhelm Ostwald (1853—1932), German chemist.

19

‘Theorie und Praxis,’ Zeitsch. des Oesterreichischen Ingenieur u. Architecten-Vereines, 1905, Nr. 4 u. 6. I find a still more radical pragmatism than Ostwald’s in an address by Professor W. S. Franklin [William Suddards Franklin (1863—1930), American physicist]: “I think that the sickliest notion of physics, even if a student gets it, is that it is ‘the science of masses, molecules and the ether.’ And I think that the healthiest notion, even if a student does not wholly get it, is that physics i...

Table of contents

• DOVER BOOKS ON AMERICANA
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Note
• Dedication
• Preface
• Table of Contents
• LECTURE I - The Present Dilemma in Philosophy
• LECTURE II - What Pragmatism Means
• LECTURE III - Some Metaphysical Problems Pragmatically Considered
• LECTURE IV - The One and the Many
• LECTURE V - Pragmatism and Common Sense
• LECTURE VI - Pragmatism’s Conception of Truth
• LECTURE VII - Pragmatism and Humanism
• LECTURE VIII - Pragmatism and Religion
• DOVER BOOKS ON WESTERN PHILOSOPHY
• William James - Pragmatism