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Cody Daniel
7 December 2016
Philosophy 1010
Dr. Izrailevsky
The American Pragmatist
William James was an American philosopher that lived from 1842-1910. He was
an extremely intelligent individual. The positive product of wealthy parents. He
received a world class education. He became a medical doctor, although he never
practiced medicine. After graduation from Harvard Medical School James taught
philosophy. His philosophy can be separated into two major categories: Epistemology
and Moral Philosophy.
The epistemology (deep knowledge) of James is as follows. Human knowledge is
built upon strictly empirical information. Any and all abstract ideas need to be checked
by factual information. James believed that nothing deserves our trust if we cannot
empirically verify it. James was a pragmatist. He believed truth to be practical, helpful,
or useful. Truth is a success story and a business plan. Truth is a successful business
plan better yet. James taught every truth has a cash value. Or that truth is something
of worth and should improve ones life. Truth according to James is subjective and
relative. James taught that the road to truth is much more important than the truth. An
example of this could be the things we learn on the path to purchasing a house can be

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more meaningful and impactful than actual home ownership. Any new truth has to be
accommodated to the other truths in our library or minds. One of the most important
aspects to James epistemology, that everyone needs The will to believe. Or that if
individuals can buy in to a culture or belief system and believe that great things can
happen, great things will happen. The second aspect to James teachings are his moral
philosophies.
William James paired his epistemology with a set of moral philosophies, or
guidelines to living a moral life. To James, boredom is the most serious moral problem.
Boredom as in an absence of purpose or meaning of life. The results of this type of
boredom are depression, violence, crimes, aggression, suicide, and every other
despicable act known to human kind. For James humans have three key attacks on
boredom. If every human being works to make others around him/her not just happy,
but as happy as possible no one will have time to become bored. It is important that
every individual becomes passionate about their community. The final step to keep
boredom at a distance is that each one of should strive to be the best version of ourselves
possible. If we do this, we will personify The American Superman idea. Someone else
will look to us a hero or an example. Of course with every idea or philosophy it is easy
to become critical of certain points.
A few criticisms of James epistemology and moral philosophy are obvious. The
idea that truth is subjective and relative can be difficult to understand. On the surface, it

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is logical to think that in society there are many ways to the pinnacle of the mountain.
There is no one path to achieve success especially hear in America. However, the idea
that truth is subjective is frightening. For example, two individuals can have completely
opposite actions and according to James both seeking truth. Some individual achieve
success by breaking the law or working in an unethical manner. James touches on the
idea that truth has a cash value or a worth. There are however, many knowledges that
have an extremely high worth to criminals. James moral philosophy states that
boredom is the most severe moral problem. Boredom leads to a litany of actions early
discussed. An extreme example of this idea being wrong can be found in a German
culture decimated by the Treaty of Versailles. For all of the despicable things Adolf
Hitler was, he was not a bored individual. His actions led to some of the worst atrocities
in human history, but while he was alive and in power, Germanys economy was
booming. His knowledge had a cash value, was a successful business plan, and was
subjective. The biggest criticism to James philosophies none of them had a clear North
Star. Many other philosophers had/have a clear understanding of virtues and vices. For
William James subjectivity and success were the name of the game.
A cultural or broad example of these philosophies can be found in the current
day United States. While each state has a local set of laws and a larger or federal set of
laws, no individual in America is told that he or she must live their life is a certain
manner. It is fair to say that in the United States there are a high number of old money

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or royal families. In which wealth is past down on a generational level. There are an
increasing number of new money families here in the United States. In which wealth
has been created by the current or at very oldest previous generation. It is absurd, the
number of ways someone can achieve wealth or success in America today. This fits in
perfectly with what James believed and taught. Also the idea that truth is subjective is
not just alive, but thriving today. For a good percent of the population the pathway to
success starts in high school, continues into a bachelors program, and finishes with a
post graduate degree. For others the path to success can be found in working for the
same company for 30 years. For other success can be found in learning as much as
possible from a position or employer then moving on to a new challenge as quickly as
possible. It is incredible the business plan of each set of my grandparents was different
from the other. While I feel my parents and my wifes parents earn close to the same
amount in salary each year, both did so in an incredibly different manner. As I look at
the success I have achieved thus far in my life it is different than what my parents have
done. This is William James. Regardless of how community is defined, when people are
passionate about their community, less negative things happen. This principle holds
true, and can be seen on a more local scale even in the worst of communities. Here in
Utah, Rose Park has an association with being a bad neighborhood. I worked in Rose
Park every day for almost two years. The people that live understand some of the
negativity, but work tirelessly to ensure that an increasingly number of good things are

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happening. This is a perfect example of James point that being passionate about your
community will bring about positive results.
While I do recognize there are concerns with what William James taught, he is by
far my favorite philosopher that we discussed this semester. (The only other individual I
liked almost as much as James was Marcus Aurelius.) James philosophy in the wrong
hands could cause chaos and problems. Perhaps the economic crash in 2008 can be
attributed to individuals who had unknowingly perverted some of James teachings.
That being said, William James was a genius. Since I have never lived outside of the
United States, I cant comment on other countries, but there is not a better fitting
philosophy for America than James. He starts off very simply almost step by step. Our
knowledge is built on empirical evidence. Every abstract idea must be challenged by
factual information. One of the fundamental my parents instilled in me from a very
early age was to question authority. I believe that this fits perfectly with checking
abstract ideas with facts. I know that I have ruffled many a feather and sometimes I have
been punished as a result of authority questioning activities. My parents were extremely
strict with me. I remember being spanked a lot. Never once did my parents punish me
for being sent to the principals office for questioning authority. During my last year in
High School my teacher thought she could bully me into stapling a bunch of papers
together (to create a packet) and hand them out to each student in the class. When I
asked her how this assignment was to be graded and if every other student would need

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to complete a similar assignment she was not happy. I very clearly remember telling her
the State of California did not pay me to instruct, rather that was her job and I would
not work without compensation. My parents rewarding me for question this abstract
idea that a teachers word was basically the word of God himself. I see what James
taught today in our civilization. The path I chose to success is very different from many
of my colleagues/peers. We are not required to follow any certain guidelines to achieve
greatness. I also agree that boredom is a devastating sense of being. When Dr.
Izrailevsky asked all of the students what we thought the most serious moral problem
is, I answered with idleness. A fancy term for boredom. When I look at my life, I can see
that each time I have broken my own moral code the action was preceded with
boredom. For the most part, I do believe that truth is subjective. There are individuals,
for example, that follow the 10 commandments given to Moses. Just because they follow
a checklist, doesnt mean they are immune to living an unethical life. Each and every
individual has the right to live life in a manner of their choosing. As long as my rights
are not taken away, live life according to which every moral code that is pleasing. As I
look at other cultures and even other time periods, I dont know if America would enjoy
the successes She has without (even if unknowingly) adhering to the epistemology and
moral philosophy of William James.