A compelling collection of the life-changing writings of William James
William James—psychologist, philosopher, and spiritual seeker—is one of those rare writers who can speak directly and powerfully to anyone about life’s meaning and worth, and whose ideas change not only how people think but how they live. The thinker who helped found the philosophy of pragmatism and inspire Alcoholics Anonymous, James famously asked, “is life worth living?” Bringing together many of his best and most popular essays, talks, and other writings, this anthology presents James’s answer to that and other existential questions, in his own unique manner—caring, humorous, eloquent, incisive, humble, and forever on the trail of the “ever not quite.”
Here we meet a James perfectly attuned to the concerns of today—one who argues for human freedom, articulates a healthy-minded psychology, urges us to explore the stream of consciousness, presents a new definition of truth based on its practical consequences, and never forecloses the possibility of mystical transcendence. Introduced by John Kaag and Jonathan van Belle, these compelling and accessible selections reveal why James is one of the great guides to the business of living.
About the author
John Kaag is the Donahue Professor of Ethics and the Arts at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and external professor at the Santa Fe Institute. He is the author of
Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life (Princeton),
American Bloods,
Hiking with Nietzsche, and
American Philosophy.
Jonathan van Belle is a writer and editor and the author, with Kaag, of
Henry at Work: Thoreau on Making a Living and
Thinking through Writing (both Princeton).
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