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The William James Reader

This reader brings together a selection of William James' most significant essays and lectures, offering a comprehensive view of his philosophical and psychological theories. James, a key figure in the American philosophical movement of pragmatism, explores topics such as the nature of reality, the self, and the role of consciousness. The volume includes classics like 'The Principles of Psychology' and 'Varieties of Religious Experience', providing readers with a deep understanding of James' intellectual contributions. more

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William James
William James

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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“What interest, zest, or excitement can there be in achieving the right way, unless we are enabled to feel that the wrong way is also a possible and a natural way, nay, more, a menacing and an imminent way? And what sense can there be in condemning ourselves for taking the wrong way, unless we need have done nothing of the sort, unless the right way was open to us as well? I cannot understand the willingness to act, no matter how we feel, without the belief that acts are really good and bad.”

WayNeedsFeelsWellsMatterDoneBeliefInterestNaturalAchieveExcitementWillingnessRight WayGood And BadWrong WayCondemningZest
Book:Essays in Pragmatism
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“Every time a resolve or a fine glow of feeling evaporates without bearing practical fruit is worse than a chance lost; it works to hinder future resolutions and emotions from taking the normal path of discharge. There is no more contemptible type of human character than that of the nerveless sentimentalist and dreamer, who spends his life in a weltering sea of sensibility and emotion, but who never does a manly concrete deed.”

HumansDoeCharacterFeelingsLostChanceEmotionPathSeaFineTypeNormalFruitDeedsPracticalsResolveResolutionDreamerConcreteSensibilityManlyHinderDischarge
Book:The Principles of Psychology
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