A Stroll with William James Book

I sought this book out because I find James' philosophy to be unexpectedly subtle and I hoped that Barzun might help to simplify it for me. My hopes were largely met. Barzun emphasizes James' radical empiricism, pluralism and relativism. He is frank with the reader that none of these concepts is easily simplified without sacrificing accuracy.

James' idea of empiricism is broad and inclusive. The stuff of experience for him includes the usual inputs from our five senses, and much more: emotion, instinct, dreams, imagination, physical urge, desire, pain, pleasure, artistic impulse, religious impulse, revelation, and etc. Our minds operate (consciously and not) on all of these inputs. The result is experience and it is rich, deep and, for many, even spiritual.

For James, there is no absolute truth. We measure the truth of things against our ever-changing experience. But there is more. James seems to suppose that when we ask whether something is true, we do so for a reason. Our reason for asking is key. He thinks that whether something is true will depend on whether it works for the purpose that underlies the question.

James' ethics are relativistic, even situational. He seems to think that questions of ethics arise only when one places a moral claim on us. Only then do we make a decision that involves ethics. He is very open that the question will be answered differently depending on the individual and the specific circumstances of the situation. But he interposes a rule. When a moral claim is placed, it must be honored, unless it is refuted. The burden of refutation is on the obligor. This prevents expediency.

I am unable to tell how much of this is new. I suspect that much of it can be found here and there in the philosophy of others. That was a disappointment for me. I had expected James to be highly original, and Barzun clearly thinks he is, but I just don't see it.

I am undoubtedly missing a lot of what James has to say. This is a danger to one who reads seriously, but alone without a teacher or colleagues. Be that as it may, A STROLL WITH WILLIAM JAMES is a very enlightening read. And, of course, Barzun is a joy.