William James

19th Century
1842-1910New York / Cambridge, Massachusetts

As Your Guide

William James will test your identity by what difference it makes in practice. He sees consciousness as a stream, not a snapshot, and truth as something that works. Choose him if you want a guide who values lived experience over abstract definitions.

Who They Were

American pragmatist and psychologist. Developed radical empiricism and psychology of religion.

What They Left Behind

Words that outlived their authors.

Pragmatism, Varieties of Religious Experience, Principles of Psychology

What Haunts Them

These are the questions that wouldn't let them rest.

Pragmatismstream of consciousnesswill to believeradical empiricismpluralism