William James Knihy

Druhy náboženské zkušenosti (v originále The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature) je kniha amerického psychologa Williama Jamese. Je sestavena z editovaných přednášek, které James pronesl v rámci tzv. Giffordových přenášek na University of Edinburgh ve Skotsku na samém počátku 20. století. James ve své knize klade důraz na prožívání náboženské zkušenosti v životě jednotlivce. Pozitivně vnímá velké množství nejrůznějších náboženství, jelikož lidé jsou natolik rozdílní, že není možné, aby všichni vyznávali jedno univerzální náboženství. Je si také vědom toho, že je veliký rozdíl ve vnímání náboženství (náboženských prožitků) vědce a stoupence daného náboženství.

Kniha patří ke klíčovým titulům moderní politické filosofie a zároveň k jednomu z hlavních děl amerického politického myšlení. Kniha umožní nahlédnout jedny z hlavních kořenů amerického způsobu myšlení, který zejména v poslední době významně ovlivňuje také myšlenkové prostředí v Evropě. Dílo umožňuje českému čtenáři nahlédnout termín pragmatismus v jeho hlavním významu, tedy nikoli v jeho zlidovělé podobě, jak je dnes často užíván, a pochopit tak jeho skutečnou povahu a směřování.

Presents two works of political philosophy: Nicolò Machiavelli's "The Prince" and Thomas Hobbes's "Leviathan," and includes biographical introductions

Focusing on the subjective nature of religious experience, this treatise explores the psychological aspects of belief in a transcendent reality, whether conceived as God or a higher spiritual force. Originally presented in the Gifford Lectures at Edinburgh University, it offers a comprehensive overview of the religious imagination, transcending specific creeds and theologies. Its insights remain relevant across various religious contexts, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and New Age beliefs, making it a timeless study in the psychology of faith.

Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South, this collection chronicles over twenty-five years of covert action related to the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses and secret routes aiding escaped slaves. Initially established before the Civil War, it facilitated the journey of many, primarily African Americans, seeking refuge in free states and Canada. Even after the war, the legacy of the Underground Railroad continues, with descendants of its original operators maintaining its spirit and purpose today.

In his introduction to this collection, John McDermott presents James's thinking in all its manifestations, stressing the importance of radical empiricism and placing into perspective the doctrines of pragmatism and the will to believe. The critical periods of James's life are highlighted to illuminate the development of his philosophical and psychological thought. The anthology features representive selections from The Principles of Psychology, The Will to Believe , and The Variety of Religious Experience in addition to the complete Essays in Radical Empiricism and A Pluralistic Universe . The original 1907 edition of Pragmatism is included, as well as classic selections from all of James's other major works. Of particular significance for James scholarship is the supplemented version of Ralph Barton Perry's Annotated Bibliography of the Writings of William James , with additions bringing it up to 1976.

Exploring philosophical themes, this unabridged edition features a collection of essays that delve into belief, the value of life, rationality, and the interplay between determinism and morality. It examines the influence of great individuals and their environments, alongside reflections on Hegel's ideas and the achievements of physical research. A comprehensive index enhances accessibility, making it a valuable resource for those interested in philosophical discourse and the complexities of human thought.

Brother of novelist Henry James and godson of eminent philosopher, essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James earned his own reputation for the monumental contributions he made in the field of Psychology. Here is the second volume of James' two part "Principles of Psychology," a textbook which took James twelve years to complete, and which is still prevalent in contemporary psychology texts. James' writings were influenced by Charles Darwin's ideas about adaptive evolutionary change, philosophical pragmatism, and various German psychologists who focused on the study of psychological processes. These two volumes delve into James' assumption that developmental processes involve an interaction of nature and nurture, a view that almost all contemporary developmental psychologists hold. His fundamental theories on brain processes and abstract thought, behavioral tendencies and states of consciousness, all of which he presented a decade before Sigmund Freud, have become integral to the framework of modern social psychology.

This is the first inexpensive edition of the complete Long Course in Principles of Psychology, one of the great classics of modern Western literature and science and the source of the ripest thoughts of America’s most important philosopher. As such, it should not be confused with the many abridgements that omit key sections. The book presents lucid descriptions of human mental activity, with detailed considerations of the stream of thought, consciousness, time perception, memory, imagination, emotions, reason, abnormal phenomena, and similar topics. In its course it takes into account the work of Berkeley, Binet, Bradley, Darwin, Descartes, Fechner, Galton, Green, Helmholtz, Herbart, Hume, Janet, Kant, Lange, Lotze, Locke, Mill, Royce, Schopenhauer, Spinoza, Wundt, and scores of others. It examines contrasting interpretations of mental phenomena, treating introspective analysis, philosophical interpretations, and experimental research. Although the book originally appeared nearly 75 years ago, it remains unsurpassed today as a brilliantly written survey of William James’ timeless view of psychology.