William James is considered one of the founders of philosophical pragmatism and functionalism. For others, this American scientist is the father of psychology. Having received a good medical education, James spent a lot of time studying the nature of human consciousness. However, he did not always take into account the importance of the social environment, which has a direct impact on the formation of the individual.
From the biography of William James
The future American psychologist and philosopher was born in New York on January 11, 1842. His father was an intellectual and showed remarkable literary ability. William had three brothers and a sister. The atmosphere in the family contributed to the development of children's curiosity and the formation of their creative inclinations.
William was skeptical about schoolwork and standard education. He preferred to obtain knowledge from books and from correspondence with famous scientists. From childhood, James was a very sickly child. Yet he easily graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1869 with a M. D.
In the early 1870s, James taught physiology and anatomy at Harvard University. From these sciences, he moved on to psychology and philosophy, which were more in line with his inclinations.
In 1884, James founded the American Society for Parapsychological Research. A year later, he became a professor of psychology at Harvard University, and then received the title and professor of philosophy.
The views of William James
Mastering the foundations of philosophy, James was influenced by materialistic determinism. William did not believe in the illusory nature of free will. He believed that the individual is able to independently determine the course of his life. All subsequent searches of the scientist absorbed this initial impulse, which gave impetus to his passion for knowledge: man is the creator of reality and the values of life.
William James is considered a proponent of radical empiricism and pragmatism. He tried to thoroughly understand the human experience and social environment of a person. The world for James existed in two senses. Firstly, it is the structure of things that a person comes into contact with in everyday life. Secondly, each person creates his own world, composing it from the material that supplies reality. A person's mind is his tool in the struggle for survival. And this struggle is determined by needs. James was convinced that consciousness is not a special entity. It is a function, a tool that guarantees the survival of the individual.
The research of the American scientist in the field of ethics speaks of the universality of his sharp mind. But James, empathizing with human suffering, ignores the social conditions that very often cause suffering.
James and his Principles of Psychology
In 1878 James began writing his famous Principles of Psychology. This creativity continued until 1890. In the book, the author rejects the views of German psychologists, adherents of psychological "atomism". James put forward the task of studying specific states of consciousness, and not just the data "inside" consciousness.
Consciousness, James believes, is a single stream in which the same sensations, perceptions and thoughts do not appear twice. Consciousness is selective by nature. It is a useful function and in this respect it differs little from other functions of a biological organism.
Human consciousness is adaptive in nature. James assigns an important role to instincts and emotions. James's theory of emotions, which he had already developed by 1884, has its supporters among many of today's psychologists.
In general, the views of James contributed to the formation of American and world psychological science and had a significant impact on the development of philosophy.
William James passed away on August 26, 1910.
