# William James

## Biography

William James, born in New York City in 1842, was a pioneering American philosopher and psychologist, often hailed as the "Father of American Psychology." The elder brother of novelist Henry James, he received an eclectic education, initially pursuing art before turning to science and eventually medicine at Harvard. Though he earned a medical degree, he never practiced, dedicating his career instead to academic pursuits in physiology, psychology, and philosophy at Harvard University.

James became a prolific writer whose works profoundly shaped late 19th and early 20th-century thought. His monumental two-volume work, The Principles of Psychology, published in 1890, established him as a leading figure in the nascent field. He later co-founded the philosophical school of pragmatism, advocating for the practical consequences of ideas as a measure of their truth. Other significant writings include The Varieties of Religious Experience, an exploration of human spirituality, and Pragmatism, a collection of his influential lectures. James's contributions extended to concepts like radical empiricism and the James-Lange theory of emotion, cementing his legacy as a profoundly influential intellectual until his death in 1910.

## Books

- [The Will to Believe, and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy](https://samolit.com/books/96376)
- [Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking](https://samolit.com/books/96198)
- [The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature](https://samolit.com/books/96163)