Essays in Radical Empiricism [Paperback]

William James (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0486430944 | ISBN-13: 978-0486430942 | Publication Date: September 18, 2003

These 12 pieces display the influential philosopher's preoccupation with ultimate reality and his turn toward a metaphysical system. Originally published in journals between 1904 and 1906, these essays argue in favor of a pluralistic universe. James denies that experience can be defined in terms of an absolute force determining the relationships between things and events.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Though not technically out of print, both of these titles are only available in hardcover editions selling for well over $100 apiece. These thrifty paperbacks make them much more accessible.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English, French --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (September 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486430944
• ISBN-13: 978-0486430942
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,158,279 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Radical Excursion into Extreme Empiricism, May 1, 2002

By 

J.W.K (Nagano, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essays in Radical Empiricism (Paperback)

For the serious James scholar, this book is indispensible. For those of you who are not too familiar with Jame's ideas and their background, this book is probably too much - and too boring at that. Even for scholars of epistemology, this book can be rather frustrating. Originally written for his grad students at Harvard, the book lacks much in the way of context, and it is completely theoretical. Furthermore, it is filled with many untranslated passages, from German to Latin. I gave the book four stars because it could use some editing. This is the modern era: Latin is dead - even for the most serious philosopher - and German is no longer the language of Philosophy. The passages should be translated, and some of the more abstract essays should come with introductions. That said, the book is still a valuable contribution to empirical epistemology, laying out James of view of "radical empiricism" - where subjects and objects collide. Indeed, the book itself is a pure experience!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It's Missing Some Material, August 20, 2011

By 

R. Pfau (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essays in Radical Empiricism (Paperback)

This General Books version is missing the Table of Contents and the Index. The content is also printed on pages that don't match the original (i.e., 90 pages versus 282 pages). The BiblioLife reprint of the book that I ordered after receiving this version seems to be an authentic reproduction of the original James book and costs about the same.