William James: His Life and Thought [Hardcover]

Gerald E. Myers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1986

This book is the first comprehensive interpretative and critical study of one of America's foremost philosophers and psychologists. Gerald Myers traces James's life and career and then uses this fresh biographical information to illuminate his writings and ideas.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Myers comments that his book might have been subtitled "A Critical Study." Even better would have been "A Critical Study of William James's The Principles of Psychology. " Arguing that James's 1890 classic "is undoubtedly his magnum opus," Myers subjects it to careful, comprehensive commentary. He is candid: "a specialized interest is needed to endure . . . a certain amount of archaic and uninteresting detail." His best work is done exploring nuances in James's language and pointing up unresolved issues in his psychology. Experts aside, this study is a useful reference: the index is comprehensive, the notes (some 231 pages) are an outstanding bibliographical resource, and individual chapters can be consulted as self-contained essays on psychological topics. Patrick K. Dooley, Philosophy Dept., St. Bonaventure Univ.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 660 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; 1St Edition edition (1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300034172
• ISBN-13: 978-0300034172
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,313,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars most comprehensive tour of James's Ideas, March 16, 2010

By 

Larry J. Crockett (Twin Cities Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: William James: His Life and Thought (Paperback)

I have made an intensive study of pragmatism in general and James in particular over the last several years, so I have built a large library in the process and read many of them. Some are more accessible and certainly quicker reads since this is a 600-page book. And I found parts of Myers' exploration of James's psychology a little tedious--partly because I am a little less interested in the details of James's psychology. But the rest of the book is simply extraordinary. In particular, the chapters covering "Knowledge," "Reality," "Morality," and "Religion" are--despite some skepticism by Myers--the most careful and comprehensive I have found. This book would be too much for an intro course or a casual reader, but for the serious student of James, for secondary literature, it is simply unparalleled. Highly recommended.