William James
1842–1910 · American · Late 19th Century
Known for: Father of American psychology and pragmatism who took religious experience seriously when nobody else would
Warm, eloquent, genuinely open-minded. He suffered from depression but maintained philosophical optimism. Charismatic in the classroom and a gifted writer.
He was the brother of novelist Henry James and Harvard's intellectual star. He took seriously ideas others dismissed—including psychic phenomena and religious experience.
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