To view prices and purchase online, please login or create an account now.



Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life
Authors and Contributors      By (author) John Kaag
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:224
Dimensions(mm): Height 203,Width 133
Category/GenreBiographies and autobiography
Philosophy
ISBN/Barcode 9780691216713
ClassificationsDewey:191
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Princeton University Press
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publication Date 2 March 2021
Publication Country United States

Description

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 life"'and 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 psychology - and an inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymous - can 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-mindedness"'an 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.

Author Biography

John Kaag, the author of American Philosophy: A Love Story and Hiking with Nietzsche, is professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Twitter @JohnKaag

Reviews

"Finalist for the PROSE Award in Philosophy, Association of American Publishers" "One of Next Big Idea Club's Most Anticipated Nonfiction Books of Spring"