American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist (1842–1910)
This article is about the philosopher and psychologist. For other people with the same name, see William James (disambiguation).
William James
James in 1903
Born
(1842-01-11)January 11, 1842
New York City, U.S.
Died
August 26, 1910(1910-08-26) (aged 68)
Tamworth, New Hampshire, U.S.
Alma mater
Harvard University (MD)
Relatives
Henry James Sr. (father) Henry James (brother) Alice James (sister)
Era
19th-/20th-century philosophy
Region
Western philosophy
School
Pragmatism
functional psychology
radical empiricism
Institutions
Harvard University
Notable students
Edwin Holt
Learned Hand
Ralph Barton Perry
Boris Sidis
Main interests
Pragmatism
psychology
philosophy of religion
epistemology
meaning
Notable ideas
Will to believe doctrine
pragmatic theory of truth
radical empiricism
James–Lange theory of emotion
psychologist's fallacy
brain usage theory
soft determinism
dilemma of determinism
stream of consciousness
James's theory of the self
the term multiverse
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States.[1] James is considered to be a leading thinker of the late 19th century, one of the most influential philosophers of the United States, and the "Father of American psychology."[2][3][4]
Along with Charles Sanders Peirce, James established the philosophical school known as pragmatism, and is also cited as one of the founders of functional psychology. A Review of General Psychology analysis, published in 2002, ranked James as the 14th most eminent psychologist of the 20th century.[5] A survey published in American Psychologist in 1991 ranked James's reputation in second place,[6] after Wilhelm Wundt, who is widely regarded as the founder of experimental psychology.[7][8] James also developed the philosophical perspective known as radical empiricism. James's work has influenced philosophers and academics such as Émile Durkheim, W. E. B. Du Bois, Edmund Husserl, Bertrand Russell, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Hilary Putnam, Richard Rorty, and Marilynne Robinson.[9]
Born into a wealthy family, James was the son of the Swedenborgian theologian Henry James Sr. and the brother of both the prominent novelist Henry James and the diarist Alice James. James trained as a physician and taught anatomy at Harvard, but never practiced medicine. Instead, he pursued his interests in psychology and then philosophy. He wrote widely on many topics, including epistemology, education, metaphysics, psychology, religion, and mysticism. Among his most influential books are The Principles of Psychology, a groundbreaking text in the field of psychology; Essays in Radical Empiricism, an important text in philosophy; and The Varieties of Religious Experience, an investigation of different forms of religious experience, including theories on mind-cure.[10]
^T. L. Brink (2008). Psychology: A Student Friendly Approach. "Unit One: The Definition and History of Psychology". p. 10.
^"William James: Writings 1878–1899". The Library of America. June 1, 1992. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
^"William James: Writings 1902–1910". The Library of America. February 1, 1987. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
^Dr. Megan E. Bradley. "William James". PSYography. Faculty.frostburg.edu. Archived from the original on November 24, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
^Haggbloom, Steven J.; Warnick, Renee; Warnick, Jason E.; Jones, Vinessa K.; et al. (2002). "The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century". Review of General Psychology. 6 (2): 139–152. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139. S2CID 145668721.
^J. H. Korn, R. Davis, S. F. Davis: "Historians' and chairpersons' judgements of eminence among psychologists". American Psychologist, 1991, Volume 46, pp. 789–792.
^"Wilhelm Maximilian Wundt" in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
^Tom Butler-Bowdon: 50 Psychology Classics. Nicholas Brealey Publishing 2007. ISBN 1857884736. p. 2.
^"William James". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI), Stanford University. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
^James, William (2009). The Varieties of Religious Experience. The Library of America. pp. 74–120. ISBN 978-1-59853-062-9.
WilliamJames (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in...
WilliamJames Sidis (/ˈsaɪdɪs/; April 1, 1898 – July 17, 1944) was an American child prodigy with exceptional mathematical and linguistic skills, for...
William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor...
WilliamJames Remar (born December 31, 1953) is an American actor. He has played numerous roles over a 40 year career, most notably Ajax in The Warriors...
WilliamJames "Willem" Dafoe (/dəˈfoʊ/; born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream...
language. He was the son of Henry James Sr. and the brother of philosopher and psychologist WilliamJames and diarist Alice James. He is best known for his novels...
WilliamJames Nesbitt OBE (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied...
WilliamJames Durant (/dəˈrænt/; November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) was an American historian and philosopher, best known for his 11-volume work, The...
George WilliamJames (born 1949) is an American baseball writer, historian, and statistician whose work has been widely influential. Since 1977, James has...
WilliamJames Roache (born 29 December 1985) is an English actor who is perhaps best known for his roles in connection with his father William Roache....
WilliamJames Pascrell Jr. /pæsˈkrɛl/ pass-KREL (born January 25, 1937) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for New Jersey's 9th...
WilliamJames College, formerly Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), is a private college of psychology in Newton, Massachusetts. With...
WilliamJames "Count" Basie (/ˈbeɪsi/; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he...
WilliamJames Mayo (June 29, 1861 – July 28, 1939) was a physician and surgeon in the United States and one of the seven founders of the Mayo Clinic....
WilliamJames Fulton (born 25 November 1968), known as Jim Fulton, is a Northern Irish loyalist. He was a volunteer in the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF)...
Alice James (August 7, 1848 – March 6, 1892) was an American diarist, sister of novelist Henry James and philosopher and psychologist WilliamJames. Her...
making William III the prince of Orange from birth. In 1677, he married his first cousin Mary, the eldest daughter of his maternal uncle James, Duke of...
WilliamJames Guy Carr (R.D. Commander R.C.N. (R)) (2 June 1895 – 2 October 1959) was an English-born Canadian naval officer, author. Though he first...
married her cousin William of Orange, a Protestant. Charles died in 1685 and James became king, making Mary heir presumptive. James's attempts at rule by...
WilliamJames Norris (born 12 August 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League One side Portsmouth. Without...
WilliamJames Anderson (born 31 January 1974) is an Australian comedian, writer, presenter, and podcaster. WilliamJames Anderson was born on 31 January...
JamesWilliam Plunkett (born December 5, 1947) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons...
Global Information