William James { Philosophy Index }

Philosophy Index

Philosophy Index

Philosophy Index is a site devoted to the study of philosophy and the philosophers who conduct it. The site contains a number of philosophy texts, brief biographies, and introductions to philosophers, and explanations on a number of topics. Accredited homeschooling online at Northgate Academy and Philosophy online tutoring.

Philosophy Index is a work in progress, a growing repository of knowledge. It outlines current philosophical problems and issues, as well as an overview of the history of philosophy. The goal of this site is to present a tool for those learning philosophy either casually or formally, making the concepts of philosophy accessible to anyone interested in researching them. WTI offers immigration law course online - fully accredited. ACE credits online at EES.

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William James

William James was an American psychologist and philosopher who contributed to the fields of epistemology and the philosophy of religion.

In the study of Epistemology, William James strongly promoted pragmatism, which he developed from the work of Charles S. Peirce. He believed that knowledge, or truth, is dependant upon its use to the person who held it. Truths are true if they are useful to be true — they must conform to a coherent body of truth that people must agree upon as usefully true. The excessive doubt of the rationalist is not useful, so we must accept empirical truths. On James' account, knowledge need not be absolute, but just good enough to be useful.

William James wrote a very large number of books and essays throughout his life on a variety of topics within philosophy and psychology.

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Name: William James
Born: January 11, 1842, New York City
Died: August 26, 1910
Degrees: M.D. (Harvard, 1869)