Biography

We can understand his ideology from his views expressed in the book, `Talk to Teachers’ ? They are as follows:[br /]
[br /]


"We have of late been hearing much of the Philosophy of tenderness in education: "interest" must be assiduously awakened in everything, difficulties must be smoothed away. Soft pedagogies have taken the place of the old steep and rocky path to learning. But from this lukewarm air the bracing oxygen of effort is left out. It is nonsense to suppose that every step in education can be interesting. The fighting impulse must often be appealed to. A victory scored under such conditions becomes a turning point and crisis of character."[br /]
[br /]
[br /]

William James, an American teacher, philosopher and psychologist was the founder of what is now known as Pragmatism. He started of as a creative artist aiming to be a painter and then switched over to science. He brought psychology out of its orthodox mould and took it from its abstract level as a branch of philosophy to that of a discipline that can be related directly to people. His book Principles of Psychology is considered to be a path breaking text in the history of psychology. The work that he did in his brief stint as a psychologist has influenced the field greatly. James was more successful though, as a teacher. He was probably the first professor in the USA who solicited course evaluations from his students at the end of a semester. He was known for his unconventional behavior and it is for his radical theory of emotion that he is best known today. His influence in all the fields that he worked in was so great that at the time of his death in 1910 he was called "the most famous American philosopher since Emerson." [br /]
[br /]
[br /]

[b]Jan. 11, 1842[/b] William James was born in New York City.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1843-1845[/b] His father Henry Sr. took the family to Europe.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1852-1855[/b] He attended the school in New York.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1855-1858[/b] He attended the school and was privately tutored in England and France.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1858-1859[/b] His family moved to Newport, Rhode Island where he also attended school.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1859-1860[/b]
Went to school in Switzerland, Germany. He also attended Geneva Academy, which was a European University.[br /]
[br /]


[b]1860-1861[/b] He studied painting with William Morris Hunt at New Port Rhode Island.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1861[/b] He entered Lawrence Scientific School at Harvard University.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1864[/b] His family moved to Boston. He joined Harvard Medical School.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1865-1866[/b] He joined Louis Agassiz on an expedition to the Amazon.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1866[/b] James’ family moved to Cambridge.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1867-1868[/b] Spent time in Europe, mainly in Germany.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1869[/b] Received the degree of MD.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1869-1872[/b] Fell seriously ill and recovered.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1873-1874[/b] Worked as Instructor in anatomy and Physiology at Harvard.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1875[/b] Began teaching psychology at Harvard and also established the first laboratory of experimental psychology.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1876[/b] Became an Assistant Professor of physiology.[br /]
[br /]

[b]JULY 20, 1878[/b] Married Alice Howe Gibbens. He undertook treatise on psychology.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1879[/b] Began teaching Philosophy.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1880[/b] He worked as Assistant Professor of Philosophy.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1881[/b] Son Henry (Harry) born.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1882[/b] Went on a Sabbatical to Europe. His mother died in January and his father in December.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1885[/b] Became Professor of Philosophy.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1890[/b] The Principles of Psychology published in two volumes.[br /]
[br /]

[b]JULY 1892[/b] James delivered his first series of lectures on ‘Psychology’ to the Cambridge teachers. His sister Alice expired in London. His book "[i][b]Psychology[/b][/i]" and "[i][b]Briefer Course[/b][/i]" was published. He travelled to Europe with his wife and children.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1896-1897[/b] He gave lectures on "Exceptional Mental Status" at Lowell Institute.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1897[/b] "[i][b]Will to Believe[/b][/i]" and "[i][b]Other Essay[/b][/i]" published.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1898[/b]
He fell ill due to a weak heart.[br /]

He gave a lecture on "Philosophical Conception and Practical Results" (Pragmatism) at Berkeley, C.A.[br /]
[br /]


[b]1899[/b] "Talk to Teacher" was published on the basis of his lectures at Cambridge.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1902[/b] His work "Varieties of Religious Experiences" was published.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1903[/b] Received the degree of LL.D from Harvard.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1905[/b] He travelled to Mediterranean with Henry.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1906[/b] He worked as Acting Professor at Stanford University. He experienced earthquake in San Francisco. He gave lecture on "Pragmatism" at Lowell Institute and Columbia.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1907[/b] The book on "[i][b]Pragmatism[/b][/i]" was published.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1909[/b] His book "[i][b]The Meaning of Truth[/b][/i]" was published.[br /]
[br /]

[b]AUG. 26, 1910[/b] He died at the age of 68.[br /]
[br /]

[b]1912[/b] Posthumous publication of "[i][b]Essay in Radical Empiricism[/b][/i]".[br /]
[br /]
[br /]

[b]Principles of Psychology[/b][br /]
[br /]


The publication of his first work, the monumental "Principles of Psychology" established him as one of the most influential thinkers of his time. His work brought advancement in the principle of functionalism in psychology. He removed psychology from its traditional place as a branch of philosophy and established it as a laboratory science based on experimental method.[br /]
[br /]


The next ten years, he applied empirical methods of investigation to philosophical and religious issues. He explored the questions of the existence of God, immortality of soul, free will, and ethical values related to human, religious and moral experiences as a direct source. He presented his views on these subjects in his lectures and essays, which were published in the books like The Varieties of Religious Experiences.[br /]
[br /]

[b]His work on Pragmatism[/b][br /]
[br /]

His later lectures like "Philosophical Conceptions and Practical Results" were published as Pragmatism: A New Name for Old Ways of Thinking summed up his original contribution to the theory, which is known as "Pragmatism".[br /]
[br /]


He insisted that the meaning of ideas is found only in terms of their possible consequences. The ideas would be meaningless, if the consequences are lacking. James argued that this method is used to define their terms and to test their hypotheses, which if substantial, cause predictions. The hypotheses can be said to be true only when predicted events take place. On the other hand, the most metaphysical theories do not entail any predictions and are therefore meaningless. As per James’ argument, the meaningful theories are instruments for dealing with problems that arise in experience.
According to his theory of pragmatism, truth is that which works. James said that truth is "something that happens to an idea", in the process of its verification, and it is not static. However, this does not mean, that anything can be true. James continued to believe that " The true is only the expedient in the way of our thinking, just as ‘the right’ is only expedient in the way of our behaving". Self-centered beliefs would not workout because one cannot believe whatever one wants to believe.[br /]
[br /]


James’ work was considered controversial because of his absolute metaphysical system. He argued against monism, a doctrine that maintains that reality is unified, monolithic whole. In his essay called "Medical Empiricism", he contended for a pluralistic universe, disowning that the world can be perceived in terms of absolute force or pattern that decides the intra-relations of things and happenings. James became a world-famous philosopher and psychologist in the twilight of his life. He functioned more as an originator of new thought than as a founder of domestic schools in both the fields. John Dewey and others further developed his pragmatic philosophy. The studies of Albert Einstein in physics enabled James to advance the theories of interrelation.[br /]
[br /]


William James then wrote a book called The Principles of Psychology. It described psychology as a ‘Natural Science’, which was ‘unsystematic’ and ‘incomplete’. These books, which are best sellers in English, stressed the utility and potential relevance of psychological ideas. He has included brain, function and structure, natural activities, habit ‘automation theory’, the stream of consciousness, conception, discrimination, sight, hearing, touch, the temperature sense, the muscular sense, pain, sensation of motion, the self, attention, association, the sense of time and space, memory, imagination, perception, reasoning, voluntary movement, instinct, the emotions, will and hypnotism. Will, the conscious process that directs voluntary movements formed the theme that helped organize his ‘Principles’. He also included the James-Lange theory of emotion.[br /]
[br /]

[b]THEORY OF EMOTION[/b][br /]
[br /]


William James formulated his radical theory of Emotion in 1884. It is undoubtedly one of the most controversial theories in the history of psychology. He said that the traditional views of emotion, such as that that of Descartes, had the true sequence of events inverted.[br /]
[br /]


Any theory of emotion shows a certain sequence of events that goes on to show how emotions are aroused. The theories before James would see a series of events as, we see a frightening animal, are afraid, and run; while James proposed that we see the animal, run, and then feel fear.[br /]
[br /]


According to James emotion is a composite of sensations formed by muscular activities and the visceral responses, which are associated with the escape mechanism of living beings.[br /]
[br /]


James introduced his theory of emotion, at the same time as the Danish physician and psychologist Carl George Lange (1834-1900). Lange, like James viewed the causes of emotions as physiological. Their theories of Emotion are collectively known in psychology as the "James-Lange Theory of Emotion".[br /]
[br /]

The James-Lange theory was no doubt controversial, and met with opposition from many of James’ colleagues at Harvard. [br /]
[br /]

[b]THEORY OF SELF[/b][br /]
[br /]


After several years James offered his Theory of Self. Despite its classic stature, it attracted little interest. In this theory he distinguished ‘me’ and ‘I’. He referred to ‘me’ as "the self as known, or the me, the ‘empirical ego’ as it is called" and ‘I’ as, "the self as knower, or the I, the ‘pure age’ of certain authors". He listed the elements of the self as (1) the material self (2) the social self (3) the spiritual self and (4) the pure age. The material self is made up of the body; the social self is that which one derives from his "mates", a person possesses as many social selves as "there are individuals who recognize him and carry an image of him in their mind."[br /]
[br /]

• It is important that teachers should realize the importance of habit.[br /]
[br /]

• We are stereotyped creatures, imitators and copiers of our past selves.[br /]
[br /]

• Never suffer an exception to occur till the new habit is securely rooted in your life.[br /]
[br /]

• The teacher’s prime concern should be to ingrain into the pupil that assortment of habits that shall be most useful to him throughout life. Education is for behavior, and habits are the staff of which behavior consists.[br /]
[br /]

• In the acquisition of a new habit, or the leaving off of an old one, we must take care to launch ourselves with as strong and decided an initiative as possible.[br /]
[br /]

• Seize the very first possible opportunity to act on every resolution you make, and every emotional prompting you may experience in the direction of the habits you aspire to gain.[br /]
[br /]

• A character is a completely fashioned will.[br /]
[br /]

• Don’t preach too much to your pupils or abound in good talk in the abstract. Lie in wait rather for the practical opportunities, be prompt to seize those as they pass, and thus at one operation get your pupils both to think, to feel, and to do.[br /]
[br /]

• Could the young but realize how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state.[br /]
[br /]

• The child will always attend more to what teacher does than to what the same teacher says.[br /]
[br /]

• The difference between an interesting and tedious teacher consists in little more than the inventiveness by which one is able to mediate these associations and connections, and in the dullness in discovering such transitions which the other shows.[br /]
[br /]

• Any object not interesting in itself may become interesting through becoming associated with an object in which interest already exists. The two associated objects grow, as it were, together, the interesting portion sheds its quality over the whole; and thus things not interesting in their own right borrow an interest which becomes as real and as strong as that of any natively interesting thing.[br /]
[br /]

• When the Geography and English and History and Arithmetic simultaneously make cross-references to one another, you get an interesting set of processes all along the way.[br /]
[br /]

• make certain that [Your pupils] have something in their minds to attend with, when you begin to talk.[br /]
[br /]

• Our acquisition become in a measure portion of our personal self, and little by little…habits of familiarity and the practice grows.[br /]
[br /]

• the original source of interest in all [objects of our thinking] is the native interest, which the earliest one once possessed.[br /]
[br /]

• In all important transactions of life we have to take a leap in the dark.[br /]
[br /]

• My experience is what I agree to attend.[br /]
[br /]

• What we say about reality depends on the perspective into which we throw it. The that of it is its own; but the what depends on the which; and the which depends on us.[br /]
[br /]

• The great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their system, as an indispensable mark of mental greatness.[br /]
[br /]


• Between what a man calls ‘me’ and what he simply calls ‘mine’ the line is difficult to draw.[br /]
[br /]


• We have no sense for empty time.[br /]
[br /]



• We have the right to believe at our own risk any hypothesis that is live enough to tempt our will.[br /]
[br /]

• No impression without expression.[br /]
[br /]

• Every school has its tone, moral and intellectual.[br /]
[br /]

• In education, the instinct of ownership is fundamental.[br /]
[br /]

• All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits.[br /]
[br /]

• The human animal lives usually for within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. He energizes below his maximum, and he behaves below his optimum.[br /]
[br /]

• There is very little difference between one person and another, but, what little there, is very important.[br /]
[br /]

• Only what we partly know already inspires us with a desire to know more.[br /]
[br /]

• Philosophy is at once the most sublime and the most trivial of human pursuits.[br /]
[br /]

• All theories are instrumental, are mental modes of adaptation to reality, rather than revelations or agnostic answers to some divinely instituted world-enigma.[br /]
[br /]

• Truth happens to an idea.[br /]
[br /]

• In practical talk, a man’s common sense means his good judgment, his freedom from eccentricity, his gumption, to use the vernacular word. In philosophy, it means something entirely different, it means his use of certain intellectual forms or categories of thought.[br /]
[br /]

• The fundamental fact about our experience is that it is but a process of change.[br /]
[br /]

• The entire accumulated wealth of mankind language, arts, institutions, and science is passed from one generation to another by each generation simply imitating the last.[br /]
[br /]

• Owing to the fact that all experience is a process, no point of view can ever be the last one.[br /]
[br /]

• These then, are my last words to you : Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create that fact.[br /]
[br /]

• Every man who possibly can, should force himself to take a holiday of a fall month in the year, whether he feels like taking it or noT.[br /]
[br /]

• Many men and women would be happier today if they could once and for all abandon the notion of keeping up musical self and without shame let people hear them call a symphony a nuisance.[br /]
[br /]

• If a man’s good for nothing else, he can at least teach philosophy.[br /]
[br /]

• For every man who has a good idea one may find a hundred who are willing to drudge patiently at some unimportant experiment.[br /]
[br /]

• To know psychology is absolutely no guarantee that we shall be good teachers.[br /]
[br /]

• Our teachers are overworked already. Every one who adds a jot or title of unnecessary weight to their burden is a foe of education.[br /]
[br /]

• It is only the fundamental conceptions of psychology which are of real value to the teacher.[br /]
[br /]

• He isn’t a genius, he’s a professor—a being whose duty is to know everything, and to have his opinion about everything connected with his own view of the world.[br /]
[br /]

• The worst thing that can happen to a good teacher is to get a bad conscience about her profession she feels herself hopeless as a psychologist.[br /]
[br /]

• Certain persons do exist with an enormous capacity for friendship and for taking delight in other people’s lives; such persons know more of truth than if their hearts were not so big.[br /]
[br /]

• The best teacher may be the poorest contributor of child-study material, and the best contributor may be the poorest teacher. No fact is more palpable than this.[br /]
[br /]

• It the use of psychological principles, thus be negative rather than positive, it does not follow that it may not be great use, all the same. It certainly narrows the path for experiments and trials. We know in advance, if we are psychologists, that certain methods will be wrong, so our psychology saves us from mistakes. It makes us, moreover, more clear as to what we are about. We gain confidence in respect to any method which we are using as soon as we believe that it has theory as well as practice at its back.[br /]
[br /]

• Ingenuity in meeting and pursuing the pupil, that tact for the concentrate situation, though they are the alpha and omega of the teacher’s art, are things to which psychology cannot help us in the least.[br /]
[br /]

• The amount of [psychology] which is necessary to all teachers need not be very great…….. one may say, might almost be written on the palm of one’s hand.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]