Reinterpreting the Legacy of William James

William James, author of "The Principles of Psychology" presented psychology as a natural science, but resorted to philosophy for clarification of certain concepts. "Reinterpreting the Legacy of William James" examines how James's master work might have been revised in light of his later pluralistic, pragmatic approach to psychology and philosophy.

A group of psychologists, philosophers and historians contribute 23 chapters that probe this and other questions in a broad-based collection focused on the contemporary relevance of the work of James.

James's theories concerning psychology and philosophy are compared to those of his contemporaries, and his influence on others is analysed.

Chapters of this volume focus on the present relevance of James's legacy to contemporary psychology, and on James's debt to Darwin, the self and evolutionary theory.

These essays offer a retrospective investigation that clearly reveals James's ideological position in psychology and credits "The Principles" with increased theoretical thought and research.

This book should be of interest to scholars of psychology, philosophy, history and science.