William James

The Meaning of Truth William James Reprint edition

Brother of novelist Henry James and godson of eminent philosopher, essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James (1842-1910) gained notoriety for the monumental contributions he made in the field of Psychology, particularly in the areas of education, religion, mysticism and pragmatism. James was a founder of The American Society for Psychological Research, and continued to write and lecture after his retirement from a thirty-two-year tenure at Harvard University. His 1907 publication of "Pragmatism", in which he promoted his philosophical doctrine on what he called radical empiricism, was subject to both praise and criticism. As a result, he published a sequel called "The Meaning of Truth" in 1909 in an effort to clarify his arguments toward objective truth. These two works, among James' last, are part of his vast repertoire of works considered to be some of the most important in American philosophical writing.