The Will To Believe: And Other Essays In Popular Philosophy - Softcover

James, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1482601966 ISBN 13: 9781482601961

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013

Synopsis

The work of William James contributed greatly to the burgeoning fields of psychology, particularly in the areas of education, religion, mysticism and pragmatism. The brother of novelist Henry James and of diarist Alice James, William wrote several powerful essays expressing his ideas on the pragmatic theory of truth, sentience, and human beings' right to believe. In "The Will to Believe", James suggests that what a person holds to be true or attainable may exist through that person's belief in them, regardless of a lack of physical evidence. In a sense, he advocates the theory of self-fulfilling prophesies. "Human Immortality" was a speech delivered during the annual Ingersoll Lectureship, given in memory of George Goldthwait Ingersoll, in 1897 at Harvard University. These works are a prime example of the powerful influence William James has had on modern psychology, and are still recognized today for their brilliance and revolutionary impacts on the field. Cover photography by Paul Spremulli.

About this title

Book Description:

William James (1842-1910) originally published these ten non-technical essays in popular journals and reviews. Collected in this 1897 volume, they illustrate his pragmatic approach to questions of morality and religious belief. He argues that in cases of insufficient evidence we both can and must act on the best hypothesis.

About the Author:

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About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1482601966
• ISBN 13: 9781482601961
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 244