Salt Lake Community College

The Philosophy of William James

Tia Cameron

Philosophy 1000

Izrailevsky

18 July 2018
Tia Cameron

Izrailevsky

Philosophy 1000

18 July 2018

William James

William James was born in 1842 in New York City (Bowen). William was the oldest out

of his five siblings. He was enrolled at Harvard University and planned first studied chemistry

but later switched to medical studies. After his time at Harvard, he developed chronic back pain,

but he failed to find a cure. His experience in the scientific field made him realize that there was

a true lack of freedom in his life, which clashed with his morals. James realized that the universe

has too much power and it caused him to become insecure about his future. This caused him to

become depressed and his mental health suffered. James met his future wife while teaching at

Harvard. He married Alice Howe Gibbens in 1878 and they had five children: William, Henry,

Herman, Margaret, and Alexander. He then left Harvard due to a number of health problems. He

died in 1910 due to heart failure (Pomerleau).

Pragmatism is a large part of his philosophy. James believes that life should be a life of

freedom and that all choices throughout life should be practical and optimistic. James followed

the trend of some past philosophers that abstract ideas should be avoided and to focus more on

the issues that are right in front of us. He also warns that before devoting any time in figuring out

the meaning of things, that we should think about whether the solution itself is practical. Would

finding the meaning help an individual in the present or the future? Pragmatism is a solution to

issues that interfere with feeling at home in the universe according to James. James also followed
the rules of cash value statements, which are statements that are practical and that were

straightforward. By following cash value statements, James rejects any form of metaphysics.

Metaphysics focuses on questioning human existence, but involves abstract thinking. He says

that metaphysics is a form of tender minded philosophy. Humans can be easily persuaded when

it comes to picking sides of philosophy. We often want to join the majority because we are trying

to convince ourselves the we fit in with the others. However, when we follow things that we do

not truly believe in, then we become unhappy and our life becomes a lie. We do not show our

true selves when it comes to following the majority and we only do so to fit in. He believes that

our lives are shaped through our individual beliefs. Our opinions may not be facts, but the power

to believe in our opinions helps them become real. Because our lives are shaped by our beliefs,

they do not become abstract ideas. Due to the many curves that life throws at us, sometimes we

have to take life in our own hands. Individuals have the right to believe because that is how we

control our life. James calls this forced options, which means that we are forced to make

decisions because life demands it (Soccio 425-428).

As humans, we have a natural feeling that we have the power to make a difference. We

must believe in ourselves that we are able to make this difference and by having confidence in

ourselves, we increase our mental health. We are free to choose our own beliefs because each

individual knows what beliefs benefit them the most. An argument against determinism comes

from the ability to choose our own fate by choosing our beliefs as well. Like previously

mentioned, there are moments in life where an individual has to choose the path they will take

because their entire life is not laid out for them. Proof of this is seen through the many different

variations in human lifestyles. Not everyone lives in the same area nor do we all agree on the
same things. Sure, as humans we try to find people that have similar interests because we like to

feel like we belong in society, but the world is an interesting place because there is so much

variety (Soccio 434-435).

James rejects the rationalist view of the truth, which is based on mathematical equations.

Rationalists also believe that the truth is universal. However, James denies the rationalist view

because he states that truth is just an idea. The reason behind truth being an idea comes from us

having to test the idea in order for it to become true or not. This can be applied in the modern

world where we test hypotheses to see if they are worthy of becoming theories. Ideas are seen as

good or bad depending on how they affect us. Some ideas may work in the beginning, but later

on they may become a burden. Individualistic beliefs may change over the course of a lifetime

and our perception of the world changes as we gain more beliefs (Soccio 431-432).

James believes that freedom is linked to moral responsibility. Determinism states that

things happen for a reason and that reason is out of our control. Determinism is unavoidable

according to some because determinism is controlled by the laws of nature. The laws of nature

have control over human action and therefore humans have no freewill. However, the rules of

determinism conflict with human emotions. For example, an act of murder is carried out by a

human being (Soccio 434). The news of this murder appears on the headlines of multiple news

channels. Multiple people see this news, but if we are following a deterministic view, many

people feel no sadness for the victim and this also goes for those who were close to the victim.

The deterministic view on this situation then views that the murder was an act of nature and that

the murderer had no control over their actions. However, a murder is not an act of nature because

there is no practical reason to murder anybody. The relatives of the victim would most definitely
feel sad for their loss. Most humans have a strong ability to determine right from wrong, which

only emphasizes the evidence that humans have the ability to have free will (Soccio 433-434).

Throughout life, we want to live life as stress free as possible. This involves increasing

our satisfactions and decreasing our frustrations for ourselves and other individuals. By doing

this, it is bound to increase the level of good in the world. In order to make our life more

meaningful and interesting, a heroic life reduces the chances of a lifestyle from becoming dull

and boring. James is referring to actually facing the evil throughout the world. This may include

rising up against bullying or helping to protect our wildlife from harm or extinction. Even though

there are risks with facing the evil in the world, all that matters is that we choose to confront the

evil. Doing something is better than doing nothing. William James believes that a individual that

faces challenges and struggle is better off than an individual that takes the easy road in order to

coast through life (Soccio 436-437).

William James’s moral philosophy focuses on the solution of boredom. There are

different levels of boredom depending on an individual’s lifestyle. There are no physical signs of

boredom and instead it is more of a feeling inside the mind. Boredom is the weariness of the

mind (O’ Brien). Evidence of boredom in an individual is seen through social detachment,

depression, drug use, and the loss of productivity. Once an individual becomes bored, their life

becomes less meaningful and they waste valuable time. Boredom has become a modern problem

in society due to the abundance of technological advances in objects such as phones, televisions

and media. Technology in the modern age has caused social relationships to degrade. The

solution to boredom comes in many forms such as helping the community, the rekindling of a

social life, and participating in social activities. By helping others in the community, it allows for
an individual to build relationships with other people. Those new relationships can help an

individual in the future. This moral philosophy provides practical solutions to a modern problem,

which proves that this part of of William James’s philosophy is still relevant today.

William James’s philosophy helps individuals find their life’s meaning through actions

such as helping others, following one’s beliefs, and weighing the pros and cons of a situation.

James’s philosophy is straightforward, which helps individuals understand it better. William

James’s teachings can be applied to the modern age, which can then help with a multitude of

world issues.
 Works Cited

Bowen, David Warren. "William James." ​Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia​, 2013.

EBSCO​host,​

libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d

b=ers&AN=88807529&site=eds-live.

O'Brien, Wendell. "Boredom." ​Analysis​, vol. 74, no. 2, Apr. 2014, pp. 236-244. EBSCO​host,​

libprox1.slcc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d

b=aph&AN=95331377&site=eds-live​.

Pomerleau, Wayne P. “William James (1842-1910).” ​Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy​,

Gonzaga University, www.iep.utm.edu/james-o/.

Soccio, Douglas J. ​Archetypes of Wisdom: an Introduction to Philosophy.​ 9th ed., Wadsworth,

2016.