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William James

American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist (1842-1910) · United States · Academics · Died at 68

William James is read about 1,363 times a day, in 88 languages.

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He trained as a doctor, taught anatomy, and never saw a patient - then built American psychology from scratch and co-founded pragmatism, the first homegrown school of American philosophy.

AcademicsAcademicPhilosophyMedicineLiteraturePsychologyUnited StatesAmericas

A life in dates

1910Died26 August 19101895“We have nothing to do but to receive, resting absolutely upon the merit, power, and love of our Redeemer.”In their wordsReported in Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895) edited by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, p. 225

1884“All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods.”In their words13 March 1884Lecture at the Harvard Divinity School (13 March 1884); published in the The Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine as The Dilemma of

“The most any one can do is to confess as candidly as he can the grounds for the faith that is in him, and leave his example to work on others as it may.”In their wordsThe Dilemma of Determinism (1884)

1882“Every way of classifying a thing is but a way of handling it for some particular purpose.”In their wordsThe Sentiment of Rationality (1882)

“The concrete man has but one interest - to be right. That to him is the art of all arts, and all means are fair which help him to it.”In their wordsThe Sentiment of Rationality (1882)

1870“I think that yesterday was a crisis in my life.”In their words30 April 1870Diary entry (April 30, 1870) as quoted in Ralph Barton Perry, The Thought and Character of William James, vol. 1, p. 323; Letters of

1842Born11 January 1842

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

William James by Alice M. Boughton, c. 1907, platinum print, from the National Portrait Gallery - NPG-NPG 87 37James-000001 (cropped)William James by Alice M. Boughton, c. 1907, platinum print, from the National Portrait Gallery - NPG-NPG 87 37James-000001 (cropped)British Library digitised image from page 270 of "Voyage au Brésil, traduit de l'anglais ... par F. Vogeli. Ouvrage illustré, etc" (cropped)British Library digitised image from page 270 of "Voyage au Brésil, traduit de l'anglais ... par F. Vogeli. Ouvrage illustré, etc" (cropped)British Library digitised image from page 270 of "Voyage au Brésil, traduit de l'anglais ... par F. Vogeli. Ouvrage illustré, etc"British Library digitised image from page 270 of "Voyage au Brésil, traduit de l'anglais ... par F. Vogeli. Ouvrage illustré, etc"Head of AlexandrinaHead of AlexandrinaHoughton 2002M-44 - Alice Gibbens JamesHoughton 2002M-44 - Alice Gibbens JamesWilky James recovering from his woundsWilky James recovering from his woundsLibro dei soci, con abbonamenti di william e henry james, gennaio 1874, gabbinetto scientifico letterario veiusseuxLibro dei soci, con abbonamenti di william e henry james, gennaio 1874, gabbinetto scientifico letterario veiusseuxPSM V77 D420 Handwritten note of william james concerning his healthPSM V77 D420 Handwritten note of william james concerning his health

In their own words 10

,
William James
,
10 statements, newest first

  1. We have nothing to do but to receive, resting absolutely upon the merit, power, and love of our Redeemer.

    1895, Reported in Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895) edited by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, p. 225, Own words

  2. All our scientific and philosophic ideals are altars to unknown gods.

    Mar 13, 1884, Lecture at the Harvard Divinity School (13 March 1884); published in the The Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine as The Dilemma of, Own words

  3. Freedom is only necessity understood.

    1884, The Dilemma of Determinism (1884), Own words

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About this person

Born January 11, 1842, into a wealthy family - his father a Swedenborgian theologian, his brother the novelist Henry James - William James studied medicine at Harvard and joined the faculty to teach anatomy. He never practiced. Instead he turned to psychology, offering the first psychology course in the United States, then published The Principles of Psychology, a text that anchored the young field. He moved into philosophy and with Charles Sanders Peirce established pragmatism, the doctrine that ideas prove themselves in practice, not abstraction. His Essays in Radical Empiricism and The Varieties of Religious Experience, an inquiry into mysticism and mind-cure, widened his reach across epistemology, religion, and metaphysics. He died August 26, 1910, ranked second only to Wilhelm Wundt in a 1991 survey of psychologists, his thinking woven into the work of Dewey, Russell, Wittgenstein, and Rorty.

Country
United States
Category
Academics
Type
Academic
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1842 to 1910 · aged 68

Academics from the United States 6

John Dewey71.1Paul Ekman71.0Henry Murray71.8Theodor W. Adorno70.9John Forbes Nash Jr.72.3Ramani Durvasula70.6

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