William James (1842-1910)

Professional Life
William James was born on January 11, 1842, at the Astor House in New York City. He was born into an extremely intellectually gifted family and was educated in Europe and the United States. James began the study of science at Harvard University’s Lawrence Scientific School in 1861. He continued on to study medicine at Harvard Medical School and after several sabbaticals and illnesses, he graduated in 1869. He spent many years in Europe, and eventually decided to pursue a career in psychology and philosophy. James joined the staff at Harvard in 1873 as a physiology instructor. He held several positions at the University throughout his long academic career there, including professor of psychology, professor of philosophy and emeritus professor of philosophy. During his time at Harvard, James was part of a discussion group called The Metaphysical Club, whose members included Oliver Wendell Holmes and Charles Peirce. James stayed at Harvard for most of his career, retiring in 1907. He continued to write and lecture up until his death in 1910.

James held firmly to his belief of functionalism in psychology and his work in this area has made him one of the most influential and eminent psychologists of his time. He was open to alternative medicine and was a founding member of the American Society for Psychical Research.

Contribution to Psychology
James influenced many areas of psychology and philosophy with his beliefs on free will, determinism, spiritualism and associationism. However, his book, Principles of Psychology, has had the most far reaching impact on the field. The massive 1200 page book was published in two separate volumes and took more than a decade to complete. Two years after its publication, an abridged version, Psychology: The Briefer Course, was released. In these books, James defined beliefs as those ideals that served a purpose to the believer. He developed a theory of truth that states that a truth is legitimate if the statements are in line with theories or things, but the truth must also fit cohesively together in order to be considered verifiable. James supported the pragmatic world view and stated that a truth’s inherent value was solely determined by its use to the person who held that truth. James also believed that the world cannot be analyzed objectively, and neither can a person’s experiences, as they are relative to the mind’s perception and observation. James described this dynamic as a “stream of consciousness” and this mind-world relationship directly influenced the art and literature of the time. James also developed the James-Lange theory of emotion, which states that emotion is merely the end result of how the mind perceives physiological experiences and stimuli.

Quotes by William James

Books by William James

• The Principles of Psychology (1890)
• Psychology (Briefer Course) (1892)
• Talks to Teachers on Psychology: and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals (1899)
• The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature (1902)
• Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking (1907)
• A Pluralistic Universe (1909)
• The Meaning of Truth: A Sequel to "Pragmatism" (1909)
• Some Problems of Philosophy: A Beginning of an Introduction to Philosophy (1911)
• Memories and Studies (1911)
  
• Essays in Radical Empiricism (1912)
• Letters of William James (1920)
• Collected Essays and Reviews (1920)
• The Thought and Character of William James (1935)
  
• The Will to Believe, Human Immortality (1956)
• William James on Psychical Research (1960)
• The Correspondence of William James (1992–2004)