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Quote by William James

“Every way of classifying a thing is but a way of handling it for some particular purpose.”

Quote by William James

Book:Essays in Popular Philosophy: Top Essays

Work

Essays in Popular Philosophy: Top Essays

This book compiles a selection of essays that delve into a range of philosophical subjects, offering insights and discussions suitable for readers with an interest in philosophy but without specialized knowledge. more

Author

William James, born on January 11, 1842, and died on August 26, 1910, was an influential American philosopher, psychologist, and writer. He is considered one of the founders of functionalism in psychology and has had a profound impact on the fields of psychology, philosophy, and religion. more

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“I originally studied medicine in order to be a physiologist, but I drifted into psychology and philosophy from a sort of fatality. I never had any philosophic instruction, the first lecture on psychology I ever heard being the first I ever gave.”

Firsts Philosophy Order Psychology Heard Medicine Instruction Lectures Philosophic Fatality

Author:William James

“If theological ideas prove to have a value for concrete life, they will be true, for pragmatism, in the sense of being good for so much. How much more they are true, will depend entirely on their relations to the other truths that also have to be acknowledged.”

Ifs Ideas Values Depends Prove Relation Be Good Being True Concrete Theological Pragmatism

Book:Pragmatism

Source: Pragmatism

“In modern eyes, precious though wars may be they must not be waged solely for the sake of the ideal harvest. Only when forced upon one, is a war now thought permissible.”

May War Eye Modern Ideals Sake Harvest

Book:Writings, 1902-1910

Source: Writings, 1902-1910

“Men are now proud of belonging to a conquering nation, and without a murmur they lay down their persons and their wealth, if by so doing they may fend off subjection.”

Ifs Men May Persons Nations Wealth Proud Lays Conquer Belonging Subjection

Book:Memories and Studies

Source: Memories and Studies

“Modern war is so expensive that we feel trade to be a better avenue to plunder; but modern man inherits all the innate pugnacity and all the love of glory of his ancestors.”

Men Feels War Modern Glory Trade Expensive Ancestor Innate Avenues Modern Man Plunder Modern War

Book:William James: Essays and Lectures

Source: William James: Essays and Lectures

“Pretend what we may, the whole man within us is at work when we form our philosophical opinions. Intellect, will, taste, and passion co-operate just as they do in practical affairs; and lucky it is if the passion be not something as petty as a love of personal conquest over the philosopher across the way.”

Ifs Men Way May Whole Form Passion Opinion Taste Lucky Philosophical Affair Philosopher Intellect Practicals Conquest Petty

Book:Essays in Popular Philosophy: Top Essays

Source: Essays in Popular Philosophy: Top Essays

“Religion must be considered vindicated in a certain way from the attacks of her critics.”

Way Certain Critics Vindicated

Book:The Varieties of Religious Experience

Source: The Varieties of Religious Experience

“The baby, assailed by eyes, ears, nose, skin, and entrails at once, feels it all as one great blooming, buzzing confusion.”

Feels Eye Baby Skins Ears Confusion Noses Blooming

Author:William James

“The first lecture in psychology that I ever heard was the first I ever gave.”

Firsts Psychology Heard Lectures

Author:William James

“The mind, in short, works on the data it receives very much as the sculptor works on his block of stone.”

Mind Stones Block Data Sculptors

Book:The Principles of Psychology

Source: The Principles of Psychology