William James (1842-1910) is a canonical figure of American pragmatism. Trained as a medical doctor, James was more engaged by psychology and philosophy and wrote a foundational text, Pragmatism, for this characteristically American way of thinking. Distilling the main currents of James's thought, William J. Gavin focuses on "latent" and "manifest" ideas in James to disclose the notion of "will to believe," which courses through his work. For students who may be approaching James for the first time and for specialists who may not know James as deeply as they wish, Gavin provides a clear path to understanding James's philosophy even as he embraces James's complications and hesitations.
- ISBN10 025300795X
- ISBN13 9780253007957
- Publish Date 10 January 2013
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 10 April 2021
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Indiana University Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 136
- Language English