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Fritz Agency
Christian Dittus |
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SICK SOULS, HEALTHY MINDS
How William James Can Save Your Life
From the celebrated author of American Philosophy: A Love Story and Hiking with Nietzsche, a compelling introduction to the life-affirming philosophy of William James
In 1895, William James, the father of American philosophy, delivered a lecture entitled Is Life Worth Living? It was no theoretical question for James, who had contemplated suicide during an existential crisis as a young man a quarter century earlier. Indeed, as John Kaag writes, James's entire philosophy, from beginning to end, was geared to save a life, his lifeand that's why it just might be able to save yours, too. Sick Souls, Healthy Minds is a compelling introduction to James's life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychologyand an inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymouscan still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living.
Kaag tells how James's experiences as one of what he called the sick-souled, those who think that life might be meaningless, drove him to articulate an ideal of healthy-mindednessan attitude toward life that is open, active, and hopeful, but also realistic about its risks. In fact, all of James's pragmatism, resting on the idea that truth should be judged by its practical consequences for our lives, is a response to, and possible antidote for, crises of meaning that threaten to undo many of us at one time or another. Along the way, Kaag also movingly describes how his own life has been endlessly enriched by James.
Eloquent, inspiring, and filled with insight, Sick Souls, Healthy Minds may be the smartest and most important self-help book you'll ever read.
John Kaag is professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Harper's Magazine, and many other publications.
In 1895, William James, the father of American philosophy, delivered a lecture entitled Is Life Worth Living? It was no theoretical question for James, who had contemplated suicide during an existential crisis as a young man a quarter century earlier. Indeed, as John Kaag writes, James's entire philosophy, from beginning to end, was geared to save a life, his lifeand that's why it just might be able to save yours, too. Sick Souls, Healthy Minds is a compelling introduction to James's life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychologyand an inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymouscan still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living.
Kaag tells how James's experiences as one of what he called the sick-souled, those who think that life might be meaningless, drove him to articulate an ideal of healthy-mindednessan attitude toward life that is open, active, and hopeful, but also realistic about its risks. In fact, all of James's pragmatism, resting on the idea that truth should be judged by its practical consequences for our lives, is a response to, and possible antidote for, crises of meaning that threaten to undo many of us at one time or another. Along the way, Kaag also movingly describes how his own life has been endlessly enriched by James.
Eloquent, inspiring, and filled with insight, Sick Souls, Healthy Minds may be the smartest and most important self-help book you'll ever read.
John Kaag is professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Harper's Magazine, and many other publications.
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Book
Published 2020-03-01 by Princeton University Press |