ENGLISH

The Philosophy of William James: An Introduction

By Richard M. Gale

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
2004
ISBN
0521840287, 9780521840286, 9780511231100
LCC
B915.J24 G35 2004
Open Library ID
OL3303867M
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
2 MB (2290407 bytes)
Pages
256\256
Scanned
yes
Time added
2010-08-30 15:18:36

Description

This is an accessible introduction to the full range of the philosophy of William James. It portrays that philosophy as containing a deep division between a Promethean type of pragmatism and a passive mysticism. The pragmatist James conceives of truth and meaning as a means to control nature and make it do our bidding. The mystic James eschews the use of concepts in order to penetrate to the inner conscious core of all being, including nature at large. Richard Gale attempts to harmonize these pragmatic and mystical perspectives. This introduction is drawn from and complements the author's much more comprehensive and systematic study The Divided Self of William James, a volume that has received the highest critical praise. With its briefer compass and non-technical style this new introduction should help to disseminate the key elements of one of the great modern philosophies to an even wider readership.

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