William James: On the Moral Life and Social Reform

Abstract

This thesis is on the ethical philosophy of William James. The main point being argued is that scholarship into James’ ethical philosophy would greatly benefit if more consideration was afforded to his works on Psychology, as well as his notes, lecture manuscripts, and practical papers on the problems he saw in society. To make its point, this thesis examines the criticisms of three different critics of James and demonstrates how each of these critics made mistakes that easily could have been avoided had these other papers been factored into each critic’s respective interpretation of James’ work. In dealing with these critics, this thesis also offers an interpretation of James that is informed by these other works. Lastly, this interpretation of James—judged on its own ability to provide the reader with guidance for how to live an ethical life—can also be seen as its own form of evidence to consider when determining whether it is valuable to heed these other papers when studying the ethical works of James.