A Stroll with William James

This beautifully written meditation on the character and talent of William James was in itself a pleasure to read. Even more valuable was the impetus it provided for me to get into James himself, first "Varieties of Religious Experience," then "Principles of Psychology," both of which surpassed even Barzun for the delicious time spent with that great and generous intellect. Such a pleasure. Thanks, Jacques!

After reading 5 of his books now, I'm not sure there's much that Jacques Barzun can't do. Honestly, I, like most people, think they understand William James and I, like most people, found out that I was further from him than I thought. In an engaging thrill of a book, Barzun explains James- dare I say it- better than James explained James. Of course, WIlliam James, who, when pragmatism is differentiated from pragmaticism, pioneered a completely new system of thought. As such, he did not always express himself well. His "Pragmatism" befuddled more people than not and "The Meaning of Truth," meant as a clarification, confused those not already scratching their heads. In the end, James fell by the philosophical wayside until Barzun dusted our friend off and re-introduced us. Barzun explains James' pragmatism from the ground up, so to speak. He starts with "The Principles of Psychology," which is really one of the best written pieces of American non-fiction on the planet and James' philosophical starting point. Next, he goes into "Pragmatism" and "The Meaning of Truth" taking much of the ambiguity out of a philosophy already difficult to the unaccustomed. Next, "A Pluralistic Universe" gets a summation along with "Varieties of Religious Experience." I hope I am not leaving you with the imppression that Barzun is doing any of this in an academically dry, sardonic manner. Nope. Just like James, his words bubble with excitement and humongous energy. Honestly, before I started this book, I wasn't the biggest fan of William James and after, I'm still not the biggest fan of Wiliam James (preferring John Dewey much more). Still, I've come away the better for getting to know Barzun and James; i've read a great book and learned a bit more about a great (if tragic) philosophy. Also, read "The Metaphysical Club" and James' own "Principles of Psychology."