William James

to Believe” by William James, the main problem that he is questioning is determinism. The questions and problems he addresses are related to Religion and Epistemology. The questions and problems are related to religion because he ties religion in with his arguments and related to epistemology because he talks about justifying belief. The questions and problems are also related to Epistemology because the arguments are about belief and knowledge. William James used perspectives of reality in this selection by perception of truth and religion. First, William James has preliminaries that puts any option, “the decision between two hypotheses”, into three different categories. The first category is the living or dead category. The living option is when both hypotheses are are appealing or “alive”. The dead option is when neither hypothesis appeals to you. The next category is the forced or avoidable options. A forced option is when your choice isn't avoidable, you have to choose an option. However, the avoidable option is you can avoid the choice. For example, you can go outside to play with your friends or you can go outside and play by yourself. You…

The Father of American Psychology is a bold title to bestow upon a man, particularly one whose interests sometimes strayed so far from scientific norms. Even so, there is no doubt that William James contributed much to the field of psychology as a whole and shaped many of the ideals held dear in the study of psychology. From his theories on emotion, consciousness, and will to his pragmatic and functionalist contributions it is not difficult to see that James had a heavy hand in shaping the field…

William James, the great philosopher and psychologist in the turn of the 19th century had a great deal of beliefs on free will. These beliefs had changed over the years of being a philosopher and psychologist as well as life events that formed his beliefs. While living at home after receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree he battled ill health along with severe depression. According to William James, the depression he was experiencing was due to “crisis of meaning” that were brought by his…

found the defendant Guilty. James Williams, you’re sentence is 10 years imprisonment” The hardwood of the gavel hitting the block cracked into the air. It was final. “The court is adjourned.” *** The typewriter awaited like a trusty old friend. It’s keys were reassuringly heavy and mechanical. They danced to their own rhythm, as each crisp white sheet of paper became a work of art. “I saw poets erode into the darkness of America’s insecurities.” A work of art that was so…

It has been a daunting task trying to undertake this reading. Finding a way to advance the conversation forward and trying to provide even more knowledge about this reading was even more challenging. My group member’s Brandy and James both made such valid and prominent points about our assigned reading that it has been nevertheless difficult. In William James’ “The Will to Believe” James takes on the challenge of responding to Clifford’s “Ethics of Belief” in which he provides insight into his…

absolutely authoritative over the individuals to whom they come. These experiences grant individuals significant revelations. The methods to achieve these mystical experiences are offered in Hindu yoga, Buddhism, Sufism, and Christian orison. As per William James, four characteristics segregate states of consciousness into mystical and non-mystical which are described below in relevance to St.…

William James (1898-1944), a famous physician, philosopher and psychologist in USA1, is not only known as his academic achievement but also his moving love story with his wife Alice which he had wrote in his book. People tend to call him a tragic genius instead of genius although he enjoyed unbelievable talent in almost every fields. His highly-educated parents and wealthy family made it possible for him to enjoy a well education. He had traveled with his family to so many different countries…

William James undertakes a tremendous task in this journey: he seeks to combine religious experiences into the psychology field of his time. James provides a unique perspective due to his education as a physician but he also provides sufficient experience as a psychologist and philosopher. During this time period, scholars of different fields of study were just starting to communicate with each other. This collection of lectures is James’ attempt to integrate religion and spirituality into…

William James wrote in The Will to Believe, “Believe truth! Shun error! - these, we see, are two materially different laws; and by choosing between them we may end by coloring differently our whole intellectual life.” There are many differing hypotheses on the existence of God and in this paper we must grasp that people will always be able to defend where they stand, and why. Both parties in religion, as in, those who believe and those who do not are going to have evidence on their side. In…

The example of the “The William James Technique for Competitive Running” and how it reduces running injuries and is also the number one version is similar to the example of the cow path because the cow path is useful and can be helpful to people. The cow path is supposed to be the main road that cows would follow. The path is useful to cows just like the training video is helpful to competitive runners. William James’ theory of development is set in three stages. The first stage is rejected,…