Running Head: THE PHILOSOPHY OF WILLIAM JAMES

The Philosophy of William James

Old Ways of Thinking
JOSHUA FRYER

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he concepts that are brought from studying philosophy can vary in a wide
range of interpretations, ideas, opinions, and especially theories. With so many
different philosophies being taught in various cultures, it can be all but useful
to understand which one makes the most sense in a given individuals

situation. The reason that William James became such a prominent philosopher in western
civilization is because of the fact that he simplified the way we as humans think and broadened
our views. Many of the philosophical ways of thinking brought up by James arent unheard of by
society, they are simply brought back in a more concise and applicable manner. He refers this
new name for some old ways of thinking by one of his most infamous books called
Pragmatism. (James, 1975) Pragmatism plays a major role in the philosophy of William
James, along with his philosophies of how truth is gained, morality, and religion. All of which
will be discussed more in depth throughout this text on how they support each other. By learning
about these four major concepts in this particular philosophy, we can more fully comprehend and
apply the meanings behind them in our individual life in order to gain a more simplistic view and
understanding of the philosophy of William James.
To approach pragmatism, you first need to know exactly what it means. Pragmatism is a
reasonable and logical way of doing things or of thinking about problems that is based on dealing
with specific situations instead of on ideas and theories. (Merriam-Webster) To simply explain
it, pragmatism is creating a meaning for a particular concept and choosing the most practical way
to apply that meaning to a context. He is so adamant about this concept because he saw that there
was a growing tension between two groups. The materialists and the idealists. Materialists are

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typically more of a posteriori and empirical group. Which means that they gain knowledge
through experiences. Whereas the idealists are typically more of a priori group. Which means
they gain knowledge through thinking and mind. (Carneades.org) Keeping in mind that James is
a radical empiricist, he thought of a fair middle ground that isnt fundamentally right-winged nor
left-winged. That is pragmatism. Pragmatism takes into consideration all logical and practical
implications of our choosing. By following this method of thinking, we now use philosophy as a
tool that works for us by adopting beliefs and ideas that fit our individual needs rather than some
intellectual discovery. James elaborates on this concept of pragmatism by explaining a
metaphysical dispute he encountered once during his life. The dispute was about a squirrel:
A live squirrel supposed to be clinging to one side of a tree-trunk;
while over against the tree's opposite side a human being was
imagined to stand. This human witness tries to get sight of the
squirrel by moving rapidly round the tree, but no matter how fast
he goes, the squirrel moves as fast in the opposite direction, and
always keeps the tree between himself and the man, so that never a
glimpse of him is caught. The resultant metaphysical problem now
is this: DOES THE MAN GO ROUND THE SQUIRREL OR
NOT? William James (James, 1975)
He went on explaining that the answer depends on what they practically mean by going around
the squirrel. If they meant passing from the north to east, then to the west and back to north, then
the answer is an obvious yes. On the contrary, if they meant to pass in front of, to the left of,

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behind, and to the right of then it is an equally as obvious of answer no. Once we understand the
practical implications of each definition, the answer becomes much more clear. Until then, both
sides can either be correct or incorrect simultaneously. For this reason, James urged people to
turn away from absolute and conceptual ideas and look for something more stable and factual.
He argued that the ultimate truthfulness of an idea rests [upon] its practical consequences.
(Unknown, 2013) Therefore, knowledge comes from an individuals perspective and belief that a
claim is true. However, these ideas must be backed up with some form of factual evidence or
plan, meaning they cant be based solely upon speculation and ideas, and must lead us to a useful
consequence. This guideline is known at the Pragmatic Theory of Truth. James says that facts
can change, and our experiences with them can change as well. So we must take caution in
calling them absolute truths. Take for example Christianity. A Christian might define Jesus
being his Lord and Savior as an absolute truth universal to all humanity. However, lets say he
later converts to Judaism. His once absolute truth is no longer absolute because of his
experience in the Jewish religion. That way of thinking is reserved for the rationalists and
idealists, not pragmatists.
Some might argue that the controversial way of thinking using the Pragmatic Theory of
Truth leaves little to no room for personal beliefs let alone religion. However, James clearly
outlines his idea on beliefs in his book The Principles of Psychology. He says that there is a
difference between imagining something and simply believing in its existence as compared to
supposing a proposition and accepting its truth. (Principles, pp. 283) For a belief or idea to
become a truth, one must attentively and actively seek out a plan of research and application to
confirm ones acceptance of said belief or idea. There is no room for speculation on abstract

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ideas and beliefs to simply conclude the end result as imagined in the mind. When we become,
what James would call acquiescent, the object is not only created and held in the mind, it is
also held to have reality to an individual. The belief then turns into a functional mental state of
reality. It is no longer just an imaginative existence created by the mind, it is in fact a truth to the
individual that can be accepted in a pragmatic point of view. He uses an argument in his book
The Will to Believe to defeat the far right-winged empiricists view on religion by comparing our
interest in an idea or belief (religion in particular) to that of an electrical connection to our
metaphysical nature. He quotes, If I ask you to believe in the Mahdi, the notion [would] make
no electric connection with your nature, it refuses to scintillate with any credibility at all.
(The Will to Believe, pp. 1) This is assuming that your ethnicity is one other than Arab. To an
Arab, however (even if he be not one of the Mahdis followers), the hypothesis is among the
minds possibilities: it is alive. (The Will to Believe, pp. 1) There has to be a subjective attitude
when approaching religion, and groups of religions must tolerate and respect the views of truth
from each other to avoid conflict that can result in inevitable war. This concept is a result of
James being a dark side of the moon thinker. Just because different religious beliefs are unseen
or unknown to the natural world, doesnt necessarily mean they are non-existent. If an individual
applies the Pragmatic Theory of Truth and concludes that unseen influences around him play a
significant role in his life, he should retain the right to call those influences God, and hold them
as a truth in his own eyes because it gives that individual hope and meaning.
With or without religion or propositions to accept (although he finds it necessary), James
still expects individuals and societies to behave in accordance to a moral code. A moral code that

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is derived by the society itself. Many realist and ideal philosophers would argue that such moral
standards originate within the metaphysical realm. James strongly disagrees. He states:
There is no such thing possible as an ethical philosophy
dogmatically made up in advance. We all help to determine the
content of ethical philosophy so far as we contribute to the races
moral life. There can be no final truth in ethics. (The Moral
Philosophy and the Moral Life, Introduction)
If such moral standards originated from the metaphysical realm, it would be impossible to
understand what they are and signify for certain. Take for example God. If He exists, exactly
what the thought of the infinite thinker may be is hidden from us? (The Moral Philosopher and
Moral Life, Ch. 5) It would be best for societies to build their knowledge of morality assuming
there is no metaphysical realm. Instead, morality should be found in the individual needs, desires
and demands. This is his explanation:
Goodness, badness, and obligation must be realized somewhere in
order to really existtheir only habit can be a mind which feels
them moral relations have their status, in the beings
consciousness. So far as he feels anything to be good, he makes it
good. (The Moral Philosopher and Moral Life, Ch. 2)
The individuals in society define what is good or bad, not a revelation from some metaphysical
being. In the comparison of good versus evil, the good is found within the demands and desires
of the individuals in society and sorted by the moral philosophers. In order to define which

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demands are to be accepted in society, James says that we must do one of two things.
Compromise to find a common ground among the demands, or accept as many demands as
possible. James gives his suggestion, the essence of good is simply to satisfy demand.
Therefore, we should satisfy as many demands as possible because the first option would be too
vague and unrealistic. He goes on saying, Since everything which is demanded is by that fact a
good, must not the guiding principle for ethical philosophy be simply to satisfy at all times as
many demands as we can?. As society continues to satisfy as many demands possible the
individuals follow the continually updating moral standards. However, as present and past
history has shown so repetitively, not everybody is willing to follow these sets of moral
guidelines. James theory as to why that is, comes down to one word. Boredom. The most
serious problem [facing society] is Boredom. James calls this the metaphysical void.
(Izrailevsky, 2016) Signifying the meaningless existence within an individual. It is when
someone is living a senseless life without the presence of any passionate drive. This way of
living will result in an insurgence against the moral standards that are being set and driving the
individual to depression, anxiety, violence, and other forms of rebellion. The cure to such mutiny
is simple. He says that one must be continually proactive within his community. This is done so
by getting involved in civic and cultural events, volunteering, and help groups. This goes in hand
with his philosophy on how the good is defined. If an individual participates in these good
conditions, he will eventually recognize that as he makes as many people in his community
happy, he becomes happier. He will then define them as good and follow the set moral standards.
James says that all demands are equally good if fulfilled. If not, we will come to an opposing
standoff when demands conflict with each other.

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With that being said, it is obvious that William James is a philosopher who concentrates if
efforts on ideas that work within individuals and society; that is Pragmatism at its finest. His
ideas and views on how truth is received, can be applied to all other aspects of his philosophy.
That is by taking a concept and applying it in the most practical way. This can be done with
religion, beliefs, knowledge, metaphysics and so much more. Being an empiricist, it is hard to
imagine that he found a way to accept the idea that some truths must be accepted without
evidence. This is what makes William James so intriguing, he is a philosopher of all truths. Only
upon the condition that they are resting upon practical consequences.

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Works Cited
Carneades.org. "Pragmatism (William James and Charles Sanders Peirce)." YouTube. YouTube,
21 June 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Izrailevsky, Alexander. "Class Lecture - William James." Moral Philosophy. 12 Apr. 2016.
Lecture.
James, William, Dr. The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life. N.p.: Yale Philosophical Club,
1891. The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
James, William, Dr. The Will to Believe. N.p.: n.p., 1897. Burger-Book. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
James, William. "Lecture II. What Pragmatism Means." Pragmatism. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard UP, 1975. N. pag. Print.
James, William. Pragmatism. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1975. 1. Print.
James, William. The Principles of Psychology. New York: Dover Publications, 1950. Print.
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Unknown. "William James." UKEssays. N.p., 23 Mar. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.