The Jamesian Mind by Marchetti, Sarin;

Short description:

Covers the major aspects of James’s thought, from his early influences to his legacy, with over 40 chapters by an outstanding roster of international contributors. An indispensable resource for anyone studying and researching James’s philosophy.

Long description:

William James (1842–1910) is widely regarded as the founding figure of modern psychology and one of the most important philosophers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Renowned for his philosophical theory of pragmatism and memorable turns of phrase, such as ‘stream of consciousness’ and the ‘will to believe’, he made enormous contributions to a rich array of philosophical subjects, from the emotions and free will to religion, ethics, and the meaning of life.

The Jamesian Mind covers the major aspects of James’s thought, from his early influences to his legacy, with over forty chapters by an outstanding roster of international contributors. It is organized into seven parts:

• Intellectual Biography


• Psychology, Mind, and Self


• Ethics, Religion, and Politics


• Method, Truth, and Knowledge


• Philosophical Encounters


• Legacy.

In these sections fundamental topics are examined, including James’s conceptions of philosophical and scientific inquiry, habit, self, free will and determinism, pragmatism, truth, and pluralism. Considerable attention is also devoted to James in relation to the intellectual traditions of empiricism and Romanticism as well as to such other philosophical schools as utilitarianism, British idealism, Logical Empiricism, and existentialism. James’s thought is also situated in an interdisciplinary context, including modernism, sociology, and politics, showcasing his legacy in psychology and ethics.

An indispensable resource for anyone studying and researching James’s philosophy, The Jamesian Mind will also interest those in related disciplines such as psychology, religion, and sociology.

"Pluralism was an essential part of William James’s philosophical perspective, and the essays in this volume wonderfully live up to this ideal. They range widely, and expertly, over his psychology, philosophy, social theory, and life. Few stones are left unturned. Readers, both new and well-acquainted with James, will delight in this volume’s breadth and depth." - George B. Cotkin, California Polytechnic State University, USA

Table of Contents:

William James: a philosopher without theories Sarin Marchetti  Part I: Intellectual biography  1. William James: a sketch Linda Simon  2. Young William James, almost a philosopher Paul J. Croce  Part II: Psychology, mind, and self  3. The psychological roots of William James’s thought David E. Leary  4. The evolutionary logic of freedom Lucas McGranahan  5. William James on emotion: physiology and/as spirituality Shannon Sullivan  6. Only across and beyond: reasoning about space in The Principles of Philosophy and The Turn of the Screw Paul Grimstad  7. The self in James’s Principles Tito Magri  8. James on personal odentity Carol Rovane  9. James’s rejection of the unconscious: a fallacious disawoval? Vincent Colapietro  10. James and psychical research: a closer look Ermine L. Algaier IV  Part III: Ethics, religion, and politics  11. On willing to believe Scott F. Aikin  12. Pragmatist moral philosophy and moral life: embracing the tensions Todd Lekan  13. James and the ethical importance of grace Megan Craig  14. The ethical consequences of interests Matteo Santarelli  15. William James on religion as effort, surrender, and power Wayne Proudfoot  16. Faith, theology, and human nature Jeremy Carrette  17. Strenous citizenship: William James and political action David Rondel  18. James’s political consciousness Trygve Throntveit  19. The gospel of heroism Ramón del Castillo  Part IV: Method, truth, and knowledge  20. Pragmatism as a temper: William James and the idea of philosophy Stéphane Madelrieux  21. Emotion, experience, and philosophical truth in early James Logi Gunnarsson  22. James’s pragmatic maxim and the "elasticity" of meaning Henry Jackman  23. William James’s psychology of truth Harvey Cormier  24. Sense and common sense in William James Anna Boncompagni  25. William James’s pluralisms Russell B. Goodman  26. James's radicalization of empiricism Michela Bella  Part V: Philosophical encounters  27. James and the 'Eas'": Buddhism and Japan David Scott  28. James and the ancient world: pragmatism, stoicism, and the rhetoric of resilience Scott R. Stroud and Clayton L. Terry  29. Around or through Kant? Kantian transcendental pessimism and Jamesian empirical meliorism Sami Pihlström  30. William James, Romanticism, and the "humanistic principle" Ulf Schulenberg  31. James, British empiricism, and the legacy of utilitarianism Piers H. G. Stephens  32. "The moral earth, too, is round": James and Nietzsche on the aim of philosophy Rachel Cristy  33. Radical empiricism, British idealism, and the reality of relations Neil W. Williams  34. James, verificationism, and Logical Empiricism Massimo Ferrari  35. James and Heidegger on truth Mark Okrent  36. The will to believe in one’s true being: love and God for William James and Gabriel Marcel John R. Shook  37. Learning from correct blindness: James in dialogue with Cavell Naoko Saito  38. The legacy of James within Putnam’s philosophy Rosa M. Calcaterra  Part VI: Legacy  39. William James and the quest for meaningful measurement James O. Pawelski and David Bryce Yaden  40. William James and the scientific mindset Martin Halliwell  41. A self properly embodied: William James and 4E cognition Michele Di Francesco, Massimo Marraffa,  and Alfredo Paternoster  42. Jamesian Feminism in a time of polarization Erin C. Tarver  43. James and bioethics: how moral obligations arise from desires, and how that matters to healthcare decision-making D. Micah Hester  44. Do we love the creatures of the future enough? William James's strenuous mood and the environmental crisis James M. Albrecht  Index