Jamesian Mind (The)

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.

Sarin Marchetti is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy. He is the author of Ethics and Philosophical Critique in William James (2015) and James (2021), and co-editor of Facts and Values: The Ethics and Metaphysics of Normativity (Routledge 2016, with G. Marchetti) and Pragmatism and the European Traditions: Encounters with Analytic Philosophy and Phenomenology Before the Great Divide (Routledge 2017, with M. Baghramian).