William James, His Life and Thought

Critical studies of various aspects of James's thought abound; but here, written in a Jamesian spirit of intelligent open-mindedness and including fresh biographical material, is the first critical study of his thought in its entire and amazing range. Myers, professor of philosophy at Queens College and City University of New York, begins with a survey of James's life and career, assessing the influence on him of, in particular, his father, his brother, Henry, and his wife, Alice, and then provides a lucid exposition of his thinking in the fields of psychology, philosophy, parapsychology, ethics and religion. Myers examines James's inconsistencies as well as his many striking perceptions; and he leaves the reader impressed anew with the complexity and originality of this most notable of American thinkers, and better able to understand his impact on such modern philosophers as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell. Illustrations. (October)