William James : Writings 1878-1899 : Psychology, Briefer Course / The Will to Believe / Talks to Teachers and Students / Essays (Library of America)

I read some of the chapters in this book straight through and skimmed through some of the rest. It's a very big book with over 1,000 pages, but I feel as though it is a good psychology resource. William James was a brilliant American psychologist who came up with some interesting insights. Much of his thought (especially his theory on habits) is actually very close to Albert Bandura's social learning theory. James is also an interesting philosopher who humanizes to the cold world of psychology with deep questions such as "Is life worth living?" and "What makes life significant?". At times, James also draws upon the poetic world and discusses Emerson and Whitman as a focus point to understanding the human connection to the natural world. James also provides some very pragmatic advise to educators and even points to the limits of psychology in regard to the student-teacher relationship. He even warns how too much psychology can suck the heart and soul out of effective teaching. This is an interesting comment in that it belies the later notions of Neo-Freudians, Behaviorists and Humanists alike, who theorized that psychology (or thier particular branch of psychology) can be used to solve all the world's problem. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in psychology or philosophy. At times, James is very deep and discusses some very technical things (such as the structure of the brain and the pathways involved in causing sensation and memory). Other times, James is quite light-hearted and witty. It is also interesting that James is rather hard to pin down. In some ways, he seems like a behaviorist, but not really. In other ways, he seems to favor personal constructs. He also focuses on biological aspects of behavior. Like Freud and the Neo-Freudians, he also considers the notion of the unconscious mind (though he does not seem to suppose a deep and complex understanding of it). In his day, he was called a "pragmatic"; today he would probably be what most psychologist are which is "eclectic" . Given the the fact these the works of James come before what is now considered to be the most significant and popular psychology (that of Freud, Jung, Erikson, Skinner, Rogers etc.); he remains amazingly relavent.

The Library of America has performed a great service by making the writings of the American psychologist and philosopher William James (1842 -- 1910) available to a large audience in two large volumes. Volume 1, which I am reviewing here, consists of James's earlier writings from the period 1878 -- 1899. It includes the "Psychology: Briefer Course" (1892), the "Will to Believe and other Essays in Popular Philosophy" (1897), "Talks to Teachers on Psychology and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals" (1899), and selected essays. The second volume of the series includes James' major works from 1900 until his death, including the "Varieties of Religious Experience", "Pragmatism", and "A Pluralistic Universe, and additional essays. The two collections do not include James's monumental "Principles of Psychology" (1890), his first important book and the product of twelve years of effort. The "Principles" would require a separate volume of its own. But they include virtually all James's other essential writings and offer an excellent way for the reader to get to know James first-hand and in-depth. In reading both volumes, I was left with the impression of the continuity of James's themes and thought. James was trained as an MD, the only academic degree he ever received. He began with an interest in Darwin's theory of evolution and in physiology. He soon expanded his interests and became an important founder of modern psychology. His later work develops philosophies of pragmatism, radical empiricism, and pluralism. This collection of James's early writings shows that James's philosophical concerns pervaded his writing, including his scientific writing, from the outset. James was an empiricist and a scientist committed, as the "Psychology" and several of the essays in this volume show to careful and painstaking scientific research. But James was far from advocating a philosophy of materialism or what today is called scientism or reductionism. Throughout his life, he was preoccupied with showing the complex and many-faceted character of human life. The determinism of the scientific method, for James, did not negate human purpose, activity, and free will. And, most importantly, for James, it did not negate the possibility of religious life or belief in God. In his famous essay "The Will to Believe" included in this volume (which would have better been called "The Right to Believe") and in its companion essays, James argued at length that the teachings and method of science did not destroy the possibility of religion. In approaching this volume of James's early writings, it might be advantageous for the new reader to distinguish between James's more accessible, popular efforts and his more technical works. An excellent place for the new reader to start in this volume would be with the three essays to students in the "Talks to Teachers and to Students." The essay "On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings" is a wonderful brief introduction to J

These are the early writings of James, including the textbook for his course in psychology. The most well- known piece here is his essay on the 'Will to Believe'. Here James worked to contravene the principal enunciated by the philosopher Clifford that it is wrong to believe anything anywhere for which there is not sufficient evidence. James instead insisted that our passionate life, our life in decision means that we must make choices. And this leads us to believe in certain religious principles we do not have evidence to prove. James here as elsewhere in his thought rejects a kind of Olympian and abstract stance, and tries to feel into and understand our actual way of being in everyday life.( Also with the mystical researches he would include in the 'Variety of Religious Experiences' in not so 'everyday life') It is almost as if he is seeking to present a democratic philosophy, one which can defend and be understood by the man in the street. James is for a philosopher a very clear writer. I would only add that there is a second Volume of James' writing in the American Library which includes his 'Pragmatism' and 'Varieties of Religious Experience' a volume even deeper and more significant than this very valuable one.

OK--I readily admit it: I am both a big loser & a nerd. I had heard passing reference to William James is the abundance of schooling I have had, but never tried to read anything he wrote. Then, during one otherwise unmemorable episode of Star Trek--Next Generation, Patrick Stewart qua Captain Picard was enthralled with an "antique" volume by William James. The show did not mention which work it was--but that was good enough for me! And, courtesy of the fine people at Library of America, I picked up this edition. First, in terms of Library of America editions, these are AMAZING. They are the right size in not being too big, but also are not what we used to call "trade paper backs" which are so hard to read. The binding is tight, yet the books easily lay flat. The paper is thin enough so the reader doesn't struggle with a three inch thick giant, yet thick enough to take lots of page turning. The selection & research that goes into producing each volume is second to none, and the works couldn't be more faithful. Most importantly, the books are priced to sell: you will be buying an edition meant to spread these works to the masses, one that will last a good long time & many readings. You are *not* buying a work of art, or an "investment" edition, or something that looks great on your book shelf. You're buying a book for reading. If you're looking for any work at all, and it comes in a Library of America edition, buy that book. In terms of the specifics of William James, I'm pleased to report that Captain Picard once again shows that he knows his onions. For a book written before the turn of the century (and I mean the one one before the last turn), Dr. James writing style holds up remarkably well. All too often, books from that time period are simply unreadable, becasue writing styles have changed so much. Not so with William James. His writing & arguments are clear, interesting, even charming. He writes with a gentle amusment, especially when addressing difficult and challenging topics. In terms of specific content, The Will to Believe is a defense of a certain type of belief in the face of rampent rationalism. James begins by pointing out the trivial nature of what passes for "belief," specifically dismissing "Pascal's wager" (You should believe in god because if you believe in god & there's no god, you haven't lost anything. But if you don't believe in god & there is a god, holy hades batman! That's bad!). Whatever "belief" may be, it is not "hedging your bets." What James advoctates is a system of belief that strives for absolutes, yet always encourages skepticism and a scientific basis supporting those conclusions. James criticizes those who contend that no such absolutes exist, ironicly largely based on faith. While James may personally believe that such absolutes exist and can be discovered, those answers are found through search, evaluation, and careful study. While humans ultimately not discover thos

any lover of philosophy OR psychology should doubtlessly buy this book. if you are interested in the work of William James, and are searching for the right compilation of his writings, you have found it, no doubt. but i strongly recommend buying the second volume to this, which basically looks the same but with a different picture on him on it and obviously other works by him.now as for the works themselves.... Will does seem to change his basis for thought a lot of the time. one thing that particularly got to me is his lack of psychological/scientific integration into his "the moral philosopher". it is nevertheless a wonderful peice. and the writing is wonderful.... his talks to teachers and students being the more effortlessly read. Psychology: Briefer Course outlines psychology in a way that allows us to think in a way that integrates actual physical psychology into our perspective, instead of mystical talk of "souls", etc.The Will to Believe is a collection of enthrawling works, and i particularly enjoyed talks to teachers and students. i can say my favorite work in this book is "On a Certain Blindness", one of the 3 talks to students. when philosophy becomes spiritual, is when you know you can really use it. a great book, buy it.