{"product_id":"william-james-writings-19021910-the-varieties-of-religious-experience-pragmatism-a-pluralistic-universe-the-meaning-of-truth-some-problems-of-philosophy-essays-library-of-america","title":"William James : Writings 1902-1910 : The Varieties of Religious Experience \/ Pragmatism \/ A Pluralistic Universe \/ The Meaning of Truth \/ Some Problems of Philosophy \/ Essays (Library of America)","description":"\u003cp\u003ePhilosopher and psychologist William James was the best known and most influential American thinker of his time. The five books and nineteen essays collected in this Library of America volume represent all his major work from 1902 until his death in 1910. Most were originally written as lectures addressed to general audiences as well as philosophers and were received with great enthusiasm. His writing is clear  energetic  and unpretentious  and is marked by the devotion to literary excellence he shared with his brother  Henry James. In these works William James champions the value of individual experience with an eloquence and enthusiasm that has placed him alongside Emerson and Whitman as a classic exponent of American democratic culture.  In The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902) James explores the very inner citadel of human life by focusing on intensely religious individuals of different cultures and eras. With insight  compassion  and open-mindedness  he examines and assesses their beliefs  seeking to measure religions value by its contributions to individual human lives.  In Pragmatism (1907) James suggests that the conflicting metaphysical positions of tender-minded rationalism and tough-minded empiricism be judged by examining their actual consequences. Philosophy  James argues  should free itself from unexamined principles and closed systems and confront reality with complete openness.  In A Pluralistic Universe (1909) James rejects the concept of the absolute and calls on philosophers to respond to the real concrete sensible flux of life. Through his discussion of Kant  Hegel  Henri Bergson  and religion  James explores a universe viewed not as an abstract block but as a rich manyness-in-oneness  full of independent yet connected events.  The Meaning of Truth (1909) is a polemical collection of essays asserting that ideas are made true not by inherent qualities but by events. James delights in intellectual combat  stating his positions with vigor while remaining open to opposing ideas.  Some Problems of Philosophy (1910) was intended by James to serve both as a historical overview of metaphysics and as a systematic statement of his philosophical beliefs. Though unfinished at his death  it fully demonstrates the psychological insight and literary vividness James brought to philosophy.  Among the essays included are the anti-imperialist Address on the Philippine Question  On Some Mental Effects of the Earthquake  a candid personal account of the 1906 California disaster  and The Moral Equivalent of War  a call for the redirection of martial energies to peaceful ends  as well as essays on Emerson  the role of university in intellectual life  and psychic research.  LIBRARY OF AMERICA is an independent nonprofit cultural organization founded in 1979 to preserve our nations literary heritage by publishing  and keeping permanently in print  Americas best and most significant writing. The Library of America series includes more than 300 volumes to date  authoritative editions that average 1 000 pages in length  feature cloth covers  sewn bindings  and ribbon markers  and are printed on premium acid-free paper that will last for centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44962976596021,"sku":"ByrdShop_0940450380","price":84.02,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780940450387.jpg?v=1770402297","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/william-james-writings-19021910-the-varieties-of-religious-experience-pragmatism-a-pluralistic-universe-the-meaning-of-truth-some-problems-of-philosophy-essays-library-of-america","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}