Essays on William James

Abstract:

Having not always been a Christian, it was a struggle to come to the light and find solace and comfort in Jesus Christ’s life and teachings. There was no guarantee that I would arrive at the peace and happiness that I found once I received Christ into my mind, heart, and spirit. Having been raised in a family that was spiritual, but not religious, I had no guidance to point me in the direction of the faith that would ultimately change my life for the better. It was not until I underwent crucial transformation and metamorphosis of mind ...

Psychology of Religion

Psychology of Religion Almost all religions in existence believe in exclusive answers with regards to absolute truth. However, from a psychological perspective, in essence, all religions are equal thus resulting to various research on whether religion is universally present amongst all people. Though religion searches for the sacred, it also associates with certain non-sacred goals such as belongingness and identity, therefore, making religion constitute socially constructed beliefs as well as rituals. Religion is an objective fact of the existence of humans. Various scholars have had different meanings of religion with each having an explanation to why they believed religion ...

Philosophy

James Rachels argues that most of the notions we consider right are sometimes wrong and are sometimes gotten from the norms in society. The author does not differentiate the different social and cultural norms in society but insists there is no correct norm. One community might behave in a different way from other communities. The author makes it clear that all the different norms are correct according to the culture of that specific community.

In “Religion Gives Meaning to Life” Pojman criticizes the atheist prizing of autonomy over meaning, explain this criticism.

In Pojoman,s book religion gives meaning to life, argues that human beings come about by chance. Atheist believe that there is no purpose in ...

Psychology: The Multi-store model of memory

Overview of the concept of memory Memory is the description of the ability to accumulate and retrieve data (personal experience, facts, skills, emotions, habits, etc.). Processes involved in human learning are always subjects of interest for educators and scientists. The way people acquire new information and retain previous knowledge became the focus of numerous researches and studies. A couple of influential researchers in perception Lutz, & Huitt (2003, pp.1) defined it as an investigation of how individuals convert, construct, collect, recover, use or manage to learn abilities. Ever since the development of psychology, memory has always been used to refer ...

Introduction

People's belief in God is a very personal experience and they are free to join whatever church that most closely aligns with the individual's choice to practice their religion. Catholics believe that they are the only true church; the Jews believe that the messiah is still coming. And so the list of the nuances of the religions goes on and on. In this paper an attempt will be made to examine the Scientology, Heaven's Gate, and Transcendental Meditation as a method of serving God. The end result is the same in that all hope for eternal salvation. But the ...

William James’ philosophy is known as pragmatism. As the name suggests, this philosophy approaches philosophical issues practically. In other words, the goal of philosophy should be to serve practical ends, according to William James, while on the contrary, the traditional philosophy, according to William James has been largely intellectually stimulating but devoid of any practical value. In context of religious issues, it is not important whether God exists or not or whether the proofs of existence for God are valid or not, according to William James, not just because these debates are interminable but also because they serve no ...

William James is considered as being one of the American pioneers in the field of philosophy and psychology. His works covered a wide range of areas including educational psychology, mysticism and psychology of religion. Two of his writings which gave him a great recognition are the Principles of Psychology and Psychology: The Briefer Course. He was part of the proponents of pragmatism philosophy and functionalism in psychology. This paper aims at analyzing the contribution of William James in epistemology. Many prominent views in the modern epistemology and pragmatist approaches to epistemology are reflected in most of the writings of James, (William, ...

Pragmatism is a renowned concept of great relevance and application in the modern society. Sentiments presents by other American philosophers incline towards a reformist approach in addressing sociopolitical issues. Pragmatists are constantly motivated by a desire to find solutions through practical application. The idea of pragmatism can successfully be utilized in explaining and understanding socio-political issues and in building knowledge of about effective governance. Understanding the idea of pragmatism especially in America is essential in building knowledge of the current and history issues of social inequality. The paper focuses on establishing whether classic pragmatic have geared adequate effort to address the challenge ...

Scholars and acolytes of Gertrude Stein prefer to refer to her as "The Mother of Us All" as the attribution of her last dramaturgical opera inspired by the figure of the American feminist Susan B. Anthony. This definition would suggest a bond of deferential respect and intimate cultural affiliation by certain groups of writers and critics positioned on the edge of the traditional culture. All these scholars were gathered around Gertrude Stein as around a true pioneer of feminism and gender studies. The linguistic revolution that took place in hers works was astonishing and impressed all of them. She was a giant, a ...

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‘The Will to Believe’ is a speech written by William James. This lecture was published for the first time in the year 1896. In this lecture, James defends the concept of people adopting a belief without having any former proofs about the truths of the belief. The primary concern of James in this lecture is about supporting the reasonableness of religious faith without having adequate evidence to substantiate the truth behind the religious belief. James also provides difference between science and religion in this lecture. This paper basically aims at identifying the ...

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“There are three things extremely hard: steel, diamond, and to know one's self”—Benjamin Franklin After reading and analyzing William James's essay, “The Self,” it would be easy to draw the same conclusion expressed by Benjamin Franklin in the above quote. The self is difficult to analyze because it comprises of various aspects or parts which integrate seamlessly to form a whole or complete individual. James, who was a philosopher, psychologist, and Harvard lecturer during the middle and late 1800s used much of his writings to define and explain the concept of ...

Abstract

This paper will discuss psychology as a science and other relevant topics under it. Although this is only a brief discussion about the whole subject itself, it envisions to open a broader perspective in taking the subject on a much lighter approach. Furthermore, this paper will tackle about the historical background of psychology and the importance of studying psychology. The topics included herein are made to be brief, concise and laid in simple explanations for better understanding of the subject. Psychology is one of the most difficult courses to be studied since it is a systematic way of arranging logical thoughts supported with scientific ...

Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines

Reg No Designation Abstract This vision paper is based on Jhone Dewey and William James Vision on Schooling. The paper discusses their views and pedagogical methods on teaching in schools. A brief background on Schooling in America is made. The Human Resources Management aspect of staffing the school is discussed. The various reasons for educating our children are elucidated in this paper. The future school attributes and characteristics are identified based on the feedback of the children and considering other stake holders of the school perspectives, the school of my vision is stated at the end ...

Perseverance is being able to conquer all hardships and stand face up no matter how tough a situation you have to go through is. Indicatively, the online Oxford Dictionaries define perseverance as “persistence in doing something despite difficulty” (Oxford University Press), which also gives a satisfying definition to my life’s path as of now. Living a normal and happy family life and then being forced to live on the streets from one day to the other, due to various family issues, can become a devastating milestone in one’s life. In fact, it could as well be the very last phase ...

The leaders of philosophy in the United States focused on mental philosophy in the early and middle 1800s. They were educated in and then taught at some of the colleges that were founded during the colonial and federal periods of the United States. After receiving an undergraduate education and either teaching or continuing in their education, these philosophers frequently continued onto the only graduate level studies that were available, and the ministry. While earning graduate degrees, studies were not limited to the study of the Bible, but also included the classical languages, Hebrew, German, and training in rhetoric, logic, ...

Philosophy

Empiricism vs. Absolutism William James and Charles Sanders Peirce are both credited for their philosophical conceptualization of “pragmatism” in the late 19th century. (Point 304) Charles Peirce was hailed the “father of pragmatism” (“Pragmatism”) as he initiated the idea, while James propagated it (Point 304). Though the two philosophical fathers differ in the scope of their definition of pragmatism (Point 304), both agree that pragmatism is the philosophy that the truth is proven by practical means, to say in the simplest amd, perhaps, inadequate words. It is a breath of fresh air from philosophical ideas of pursuing the truth ...

When approaching Ursula Le Guin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” readers can interpret the story in several different ways. Some critics view the story as a rejection of the moral pragmatism supported by William James, alluded to in the subtitle of the story (Povinelli 510). Others view it as Le Guin’s indictment of first world countries’ financial exploitation of third world countries (Collins 525). Still others view it as Le Guin’s attempt to explain the workings of human nature and religion (Collins 525). However, to an average reader, the story resonates as a cautionary ...

Understanding an individual’s behavior is a complicated task, which requires a learning experience. Human behavior is unpredictable and complex and trying to understand it requires a high degree of accuracy. Different people have varying characteristic behaviors and psychologists have come up with different theories to explain why people behave in certain ways. Even when the psychologists put more effort in explaining these theories, people are still not enlightened on their behaviors. Williams James was a very excellent psychologist whose work has influenced many people in their daily lives. According to James (1950), Williams James was guided by four aspects (social self, spiritual ...

Introduction

Religion in itself is the faith of the presence of a supernatural being. However, Karl Marx looks at it in a slightly different way. He states that it is a tactic to oppress the have-nots in the society. According to his understanding, it is a haven for the poor that they can find a hope for the future. Karl Marx viewed religion as a way of society stratification in terms of the have and the have-nots. He argued out that the people who throng to the various religious entities do so not to seek for spiritual nourishment but as a way of seeking for refuge, shelter, ...

I am writing to you as the last generation that I will see in my lifetime. When the Atlantic slave trade came to an end, many of us thought that this signalled the end of slavery. However, it appears that equally evil acts are still going on. Modern-day slavery encompasses a range of violations of human rights. It contains the “practices of child labour, bonded labour, serfdom, servile marriage, trafficking in persons (especially women and children), and the exploitation of domestic and migrant labour” (Forms). You are young and may not have yet fully decided your views on life, death ...

Mary Whiton Calkins grew up in a male dominated society. This was during the late 1800s and early 1900s when almost every one was a male chauvinist. She had to struggle through out her education especially in 1984 when her younger sister died and her mother’s health condition deteriorated forcing her to drop out of school for a year. When her sister, Mauda, died she spent the entire year tutoring her two young brothers. During this hard period she also studied Greek. During her life she put adequate effort and determination worth inspiring. (Zedler, 1995). This is noticed in her contribution ...