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Author: Jacob L. Goodson
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 0739190148
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 431
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Book Description
Virtue theory, natural law, deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism: these are the basic moral theories taught in “Ethics,” “History of Philosophy,” and “Introduction to Philosophy” courses throughout the United States. When the American philosopher William James (1842 – 1910) find his way into these conversations, there is uncertainty about where his thinking fits. While utilitarianism has become the default position for teaching James’s pragmatism and radical empiricism, this default position fails to address and explain James’s multiple criticisms of John Stuart Mill’s formulaic approach to questions concerning the moral life. Through close readings of James’s writings, the chapters in William James, Moral Philosophy, and the Ethical Life catalogue the ways in whichJames wants to avoid the following: (a) the hierarchies of Christian natural law theory, (b) the moral calculus of Mill’s utilitarianism, (c) the absolutism and principle-ism of Immanuel Kant’s deontology, and (d) the staticity of the virtues found in Aristotle’s moral theory. Elaborating upon and clarifying James’s differences from these dominant moral theories is a crucial feature of this collection. This collection, is not, however, intended to be wholly negative – that is, only describing to readers what James’s moral theory is not. It seeks to articulate the positive features of James’s ethics and moral reasoning: what does it mean to an ethical life, and how should we theorize about morality?
Author: Jacob L. Goodson
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 0739190148
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 431
Get Book Here
Book Description
Virtue theory, natural law, deontology, utilitarianism, existentialism: these are the basic moral theories taught in “Ethics,” “History of Philosophy,” and “Introduction to Philosophy” courses throughout the United States. When the American philosopher William James (1842 – 1910) find his way into these conversations, there is uncertainty about where his thinking fits. While utilitarianism has become the default position for teaching James’s pragmatism and radical empiricism, this default position fails to address and explain James’s multiple criticisms of John Stuart Mill’s formulaic approach to questions concerning the moral life. Through close readings of James’s writings, the chapters in William James, Moral Philosophy, and the Ethical Life catalogue the ways in whichJames wants to avoid the following: (a) the hierarchies of Christian natural law theory, (b) the moral calculus of Mill’s utilitarianism, (c) the absolutism and principle-ism of Immanuel Kant’s deontology, and (d) the staticity of the virtues found in Aristotle’s moral theory. Elaborating upon and clarifying James’s differences from these dominant moral theories is a crucial feature of this collection. This collection, is not, however, intended to be wholly negative – that is, only describing to readers what James’s moral theory is not. It seeks to articulate the positive features of James’s ethics and moral reasoning: what does it mean to an ethical life, and how should we theorize about morality?
Author: Guy Axtell
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 9781498571081
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 430
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Book Description
This edited volume demonstrates that a virtue-centered approach to the ethical life is a consistent feature of William James's moral reasoning from the 1880s until his death. Yet, little else remains constant within his writings on these subjects, and this inconstancy furthers interest in his work over a century later.
Author: Todd Lekan
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000567850
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 220
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Book Description
This book offers a compelling new interpretation of James’ moral philosophy: an "ethics of responsible self-fashioning." James’ performative writing style articulates this conception by showing how moral inquiry serves both social and personal transformation. James the social moral philosopher seeks to create an inclusive moral order through expansion of sympathetic concern among those committed to different ideals. James the existential moral philosopher defends the right to adopt hope-grounding metaphysical beliefs which encourage strenuous moral action in the face of evil and suffering. The power of James’ ethics is demonstrated by its application to current discussions about the status of marginalized nonhuman animals and that of the cognitively disabled. William James and the Moral Life is of interest to a wide variety of ethicists and has special appeal to scholars and advanced students in moral philosophy, social philosophy, pragmatism, and American philosophy.
Author: Sergio Franzese
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 311032783X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 245
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Book Description
William James's moral philosophy is neither a remaking of utilitarianism nor it is a theory of values as it is assumed by the majority of his interpreters. Instead James offers an ethical view consistently arising out of valorization of energy of his days, and effecting a counter-tendency to the two great popular scientific currents of the 19th century: the universalizing of Darwinism and the pessimistic ideologies of social entropy. James's ethics moves away from the traditional idealistic or utilitarian grounds and takes place against the background of an up-and-coming philosophical anthropology hinged on the primacy of action. Human activity, however, needs to be understood in relation to Energy as the fabric of the universe pervading the whole spectrum of being in a continuum in which humanity and divinty are strictly intertwined.
Author: Michael R. Slater
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 113948012X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 259
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Book Description
This book offers a new interpretation of William James's ethical and religious thought. Michael Slater shows that James's conception of morality, or what it means to lead a moral and flourishing life, is intimately tied to his conception of religious faith, and argues that James's views on these matters are worthy of our consideration. He offers a reassessment of James's 'will to believe' or 'right to believe' doctrine, his moral theory, and his neglected moral arguments for religious faith. And he argues that James's pragmatic account of religion is based on an ethical view of the function of religion and a realist view of the objects of religious belief and experience, and is compatible with his larger conception of pragmatism. The book will appeal to readers interested in the history of modern philosophy, especially pragmatism, as well as those interested in moral philosophy, religion, and the history of ideas.
Author: John K. Roth
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 168
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Book Description
Author: William James
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ethics
Languages : en
Pages : 378
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Book Description
Here, in a single volume, are selections from the writings of William James that cover the entire spectrum of his work as psychologist, moral philosopher, pragmatist, and metaphysician. These selections concentrate on the theme of James's moral philosophy. Although James was acknowledged as one of the dominant philosophers of his time, his total moral perspective is not easy to grasp. This is because he never developed a fully unified statement of his position. Rather, his illuminating reflections on moral issues were scattered unsystematically throughout his writings. This volume focuses attention on writings that are at the heart of James's ethical perspective. -- Book jacket.
Author: Clifford S. Stagoll
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438493282
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 295
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Book Description
William James (1842–1910) authored some of America's most original and evocative philosophy and psychology. Until recently, however, his work in ethics attracted little interest, despite suggestions from such distinguished peers as John Dewey that ethical themes suffused his writings. Taking those suggestions seriously, Clifford S. Stagoll provides an original and rigorous interpretation of James's ethics as a response to the socio-economic circumstances of his day, derived from key themes in his metaphysics, philosophical psychology, philosophy of religion, and pedagogical theory. By considering these apparently disparate projects together, Stagoll shows how James's recommendations for pursuing a richer, more rewarding life—an ethics in the classical sense—are justified by intricate and sophisticated analyses of how we think, act, and conceive of ourselves. For James, making a habit of experimenting with life's myriad opportunities is not just a way to counter thinking that has grown too rigid, but a crucial precondition for making the most of one's life and self.
Author: Josiah Royce
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Christianity
Languages : en
Pages : 382
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Book Description
"The essays collected in the present volume contain illustrations and applications of the doctrine of philosophical Idealism. Each essay contains an interpretation of some problem that is, in my opinion, of vital interest for any one who wants to form sound ideals for the conduct of life"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).
Author: Richard P. Mullin
Publisher: AllrOneofUs Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 150
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Book Description
This book wrestles with the question of free will, which the author supports versus a deterministic vision of the universe. Following William James, the author resolves the issue by applying pragmatic ideas tested in reality. The core idea of this work is that true ideas are judged by where they lead us. Unlike materialism, this view is open to a pluralistic universe. This includes a spiritual dimension, in which our consciousness has a transmissive capacity, an ability to pick up inspiration from outside itself. All of this serves as a guide to a richer life, in which we experience harmony with the world by means of "agreeable leading." Last, the author wishes that this was a book he would have read when he was young, and we invite you to do the same.
