Sick Souls, Healthy Minds : How William James Can Save Your Life / John Kaag.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kaag, John, 1979- Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pragmatism.

James, William, 1842-1910.

James, William.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (223 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2020]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

From the celebrated author of American Philosophy: A Love Story and Hiking with Nietzsche, a compelling introduction to the life-affirming philosophy of William JamesIn 1895, William James, the father of American philosophy, delivered a lecture entitled "Is Life Worth Living?" It was no theoretical question for James, who had contemplated suicide during an existential crisis as a young man a quarter century earlier. Indeed, as John Kaag writes, "James's entire philosophy, from beginning to end, was geared to save a life, his life"-and that's why it just might be able to save yours, too. Sick Souls, Healthy Minds is a compelling introduction to James's life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychology-and an inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymous-can still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living.Kaag tells how James's experiences as one of what he called the "sick-souled," those who think that life might be meaningless, drove him to articulate an ideal of "healthy-mindedness"-an attitude toward life that is open, active, and hopeful, but also realistic about its risks. In fact, all of James's pragmatism, resting on the idea that truth should be judged by its practical consequences for our lives, is a response to, and possible antidote for, crises of meaning that threaten to undo many of us at one time or another. Along the way, Kaag also movingly describes how his own life has been endlessly enriched by James.Eloquent, inspiring, and filled with insight, Sick Souls, Healthy Minds may be the smartest and most important self-help book you'll ever read.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Prologue: "A Disgust for Life"

1. Determinism and Despair

2. Freedom and Life

3. Psychology and the Healthy Mind

4. Consciousness and Transcendence

5. Truth and Consequences

6. Wonder and Hope

Acknowledgments

Notes

Suggested Reading

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780691200934

0691200939

OCLC:

1143810419