... | | | | | |By Rev. David F. Austin | |3/6/2012 | |Pragmatism - an American movement in philosophy founded by C. S. Peirce and William James and marked by the doctrines that the meaning of | |conceptions is to be sought in their practical bearings, that the function of thought is to guide action, and that truth is preeminently to be| |tested by the practical consequences of belief. | 1 Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition centered on the linking of practice and theory. It describes a process where theory is extracted from practice, and applied back to practice to form what is called intelligent practice. Important positions characteristic of pragmatism include instrumentalism, radical empiricism, verificationism, conceptual relativity, a denial of...
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...Megan Morrone Sigmund Freud and William James on Religion Intro to Philosophy Final May 3, 2013 The Will to Believe, an essay by William James, is a defense of religious faith in the absence of convincing logical facts or scientific evidence. James focuses on reasoning and choice in reference to the basis of belief. To James, when reasoning it is a necessity to recognize other considerations apart from those in which the evidence points to. If truth is the primary focus of our beliefs, sometimes it may necessary to take the risk of believing without solid evidence. Moreover, he clarifies that, although we sometimes have a choice in what we believe, there are many beliefs that we cannot will. James views faith in God as falling short of knowledge because we, as humans do not naturally experience the supernatural. However, he also explains that, such faith is sensibly meaningful to many people, and it is reasonable to wonder how, and to what extent it can be justified. James believes that both logic and science have limits beyond which we can legitimately seek rationality. James discusses genuine choice and stresses the three criteria for genuine choice; the choice must be live, forced, and momentous. In other words, personally meaningful, mutually exclusive and presented with an option and/or answer, and must involve potentially important consequences. James defines religion broadly, as having simply two elements, the first being that the best things are eternal, and second...
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...To completely understand how William James got his start in Psychology, I think must first start with his father. William's father, Henry James Sr., was 1 of 13 children. His parents were Irish immigrants. Henry inherited wealth from his father before his own children were even born. When William was born, Henry and his wife Mary lived in New York City. There, Henry studied theology, philosophy, and mysticism. William James was born in New York City on January 11, 1842, to a deeply religious family. Henry often took the family for extended stays in Europe. He was a very devoted father. He wanted his children to have the sort of education so they might out-do others in knowledge. He enrolled them in fine schools, hired them gifted tutors, and made sure they went to museums, attended lectures, and the theater with regularity. William and two of his siblings would follow their father's educational efforts. His brother Henry became one of America's most famed novelists, and his sister Alice also acquired a literary reputation of her own after her diaries were published. Mary James complained of William that "The trouble with him is that he must express every fluctuation of feeling, and especially every unfavorable symptom, without reference to the effect upon those about him." It seems this introduction to the great philosopher and psychologist William James. It is also appropriate, his was life a reconsideration of spirituality and consciousness in relation to physiology and neuroscience...
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...in 1884 with a degree in philosophy and Greek studies, however Mary didn’t end her education there. Naturally Mary attempted to attain a job revolving around her degree, which she landed at the Wellesley College as a tutor in the Greek department. Her successes shined as a tutor for three years all the way through to a fellow colleague who offers Calkins an opportunity to expand into the psychology. Terms of advancement were for Mary to study Psychology for a year and in turn be able to teach it for the department at Wellesley. Mary had many reputable schools to have chose from to attend as a student for her second go around of studies however ended up as guest sit in student to Harvard University in lectures given by Josiah Royce and William James. Living in an era where women did have some opportunities those did not extend to women being registered students at Harvard. In her studies Calkins battled Harvard for her well-earned degree after completed all requirements at doctorate status yet failed in getting the Harvard institution to grant her such degree solely based on her sex. Although she may not have the degree itself Calkins is widely accepted as the first female to have earned a doctoral degree in the field of psychology and awarded through the University of Columbia in 1909 with Doctors of letters and in 1910 by the Smith College a Doctor of...
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...Sima & Sabah Religion has been successful in its response to psychology’s challenges to religious belief.’ Assess this claim (15 marks) June 2011 One of the key ways religion challenges Freud’s claims successfully is due to the fact his theory was based on Darwin’s speculations and assumptions which may have not been necessarily true. This theory was written at a time where no reliable data was available and so this meant that the idea of the primal horde was not criticised at the time. For example, not all tribes had totem animals. This suggests that Freud’s idea that guilt was handed down from generation to generation is incorrect. Therefore, one could argue that Freud was wrong to suggest that religion is based on guilt. This therefore supports the claim that religion was successful in its response to psychology’s challenges. However, many argue that Freud was immensely intelligent. His work had greatly influenced the western understanding of the mind. Therefore his assumption that religion was based on guilt was understandable to many people. Hence the reason why Freud’s strengths lie in the fact that many could relate to his ideas about religion and psychology in their own lives. This therefore goes against the statement that religion has been successful in its response to psychology. Another way in which religion successfully challenges Freud’s claims is the fact Freud suggest that guilt is passed down from generation to generation. Religion challenges this by...
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...Nietzsche’s philosophy of religion: Julian Young Review Essay Nietzsche’s philosophy of religion: Julian Young Review Essay Dimitri Georgoudes 1961373 November 27th 2015 Poli 426 Prof. Hutter Dimitri Georgoudes 1961373 November 27th 2015 Poli 426 Prof. Hutter The tension between Nietzsche’s work and religion has long been examined and interpreted by philosophers studying Nietzsche. Julian Young in his work “Nietzsche’s Philosophy of Religion” is a step by step analysis of this subject. Young examines Nietzsche’s most important work on the subject and offers some insight into Nietzsche’s position on religion and moreover the role religion plays in a community or in his words the “people”. Young’s contention is that Nietzsche, contrary to critics before him, doesn’t negate religion rather he is a reformer of religion as we know it. Furthermore he advances the argument that religion is part of a well-functioning community from Nietzsche’s perspective. From Nietzsche’s first writings we learn that the Christian religion as we know it in Nietzsche’s time in Europe has become irrelevant. Even in his time globalisation is beginning to take shape and the old hierarchy of Christianity can longer be applied to a global world or to all humanity. In Nietzsche’s modern time, life is chaos, constant conflict between peoples and individuals. Young claims that this lends to the half barbarian conflit. Young interprets Nietzsche’s writing to say that humanity...
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...William James was born on January 11th, 1842. He grew up in a well-educated environment. His father was deeply interested in philosophy and theology and made sure to provide his children with a rich education. James came from a family with a strict father, raised in tolerance. They were a wealthy and cultured family. James attended Harvard, studying a broad spectrum of just about everything. He finally received his medical degree in 1869, but then became depressed and anxious about like. He was not found of medicine and was then offered to teach a course in the relations between Psychology and Physiology. He was also the founder of Harvard’s first Psychology lab. James then began to teach psychology as well as writing the first U.S. test, Principles of Psychology, in 1890. James was well known for his Philosophy which he explored many areas. But many people might know about his collaboration with Carl Lange, and the Theory of Emotions. This theory suggest that emotions occur as a result of physiology reactions to events. James’s theory was proposed in 1884. Even though many people did not believe his theory he stood firm to it. This theory proposed the emotions happen as a result of an event, our body arouses, interprets, then the emotion occurs. William James describes it thus: "My theory ... is that the bodily changes follow directly the perception of the exciting fact, and that our feeling of the same changes as they occur is the emotion. Common sense says, we lose our fortune...
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...Although I love traveling, sitting in this musty old coat pocket is quite a bore and our destination on this business trip is less than desirable. “I’m back…” my master droned as he stepped onto the unsophisticated American soil. Whipping me out of his chamber of a coat pocket and handing me to the tall uniformed man, I was admired, scanned, and stamped. The man at the port had never seen such an accomplished one of my kind before. I have ventured between America and the always great Europe an impressive number of times and plan on being stamped at different country boundaries until my pages are worn to the core, and I am an inked mess. “Incredible, Sir this passport is quite weathered. I see you have been many the miles.” “Mr. Henry James is my name and thank you. I take great pride in my travels for they provide one with experience and insight.” With a hard stamp my pages were once again marked with the disgraceful American ink, but either way I was glad to add another traveler’s mark to my collection. As Henry continued to talk about his travels and writing, he waved me around like a trophy to behold. Although glad to be seen and treasured, I wished he would put me away and we could start exploring some more. Getting into the carriage, he slipped me into the breast pocket of his coat which was my absolute favorite spot because it was the closest to his heart. With the crack of the whip, neigh of the horses, and jerk of the wagon we were off again to spend our precious time...
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...Smith College. Due to her sister’s illness and death caused her to study at home for the following year. However she went back to the Smith University in 1885, and graduated with a double major in classics and philosophy. Later on the year, the Calkins family went to Europe and Mary studied Greek at the University of Leipzig. After she returned to the States, she was asked to teach Greek at the Wellesley College. She had been teaching Greek for about a year, when offered a position teaching psychology. Unfortunately, she struggled tremendously. There were few places for women to work or even graduate in psychology (Bumb,n.d). Calkins was invited to sit-in on William James and Josiah Royce lectures on a strictly casual basis at the Harvard University. On October 1, 1980 Calkins was allowed to attend the seminars of James and Royce but had to accept the terms that she was only allowed to be admitted as a guest and not allowed to become a student of the University. (Bumb,n.d). In 1895 she returned to Wellesley College where she got the opportunity to be an Associate Professor of Psychology and later was promoted to a Professor. She wrote four books, Including, An...
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...Beliefs William A. Bruno Southern New Hampshire University William.Bruno@snhu.edu Either people believe there is a God, don’t believe in God or they are on the fence about whether or not God exists. It doesn’t matter what your position because no matter where you go there will always be somebody to tell you you’re wrong for what you believe in. During the next few paragraphs I will discuss a few different philosopher’s ideas by talking about the side of the fence, if either, they fall into and their views about the other side. The three philosophers I will talk about are Blaise Pascal, W.K. Clifford, and William James and their views on the whole believing in God thing. Blaise Pascal was for the idea of believing in God. Pascal’s thought were that “having a belief in God was useful even if not supported by the available evidence (Pascal).” His theory basically stated that if “someone fully devoted their life to the ways of Christianity they would soon believe what Christians believe” (Pascal). I personally don’t like this idea because I feel that this is, basically, brainwashing yourself. The next philosopher William James had theory that was along the same line as Pascal’s. He thought if people had the options between two really appealing choices the people have the right to act as their passion decides (James, 1896).” James thought it was pointless for us to permit the fear of holding a false belief to prevent us from losing the benefits of believing what...
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...Women in Psychology Paper PSY/310- History and Systems of Psychology September 16, 2012 Laura Rolen Like women, members of minority groups have been on the outside looking in for most of psychology’s history. Unlike the case for women, however, significant gains for blacks and most other minorities were not made in the years following World War II, and minorities continue to be underrepresented in psychology (Goodwin & Wiley & Sons inc., Chapter 15, 2008). In this paper I will be discussing Mary Whiton Calkins (1863-1930), Calkins was an American philosopher and she was the first of her generation of women to enter into psychology. Calkins was born on March 30, 1963 in Hartford, Connecticut she was the eldest of five children who were born to Charlotte Whiton Calkins (mother) and Wolcott Calkins (father). Calkins father was a Presbyterian minister her and her siblings lived and grew up in Buffalo New York, and at the age of 17-years-old her and her family moved to Newton, Massachusetts. Calkins started taking college classes at Smith College in 1882 where she was a...
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...Looking forward IPS Essay Dennis von Detten Liberty University INDS 400 Professor Burgess 10/05/2015 Dennis von Detten Professor Burgess INDS 400 10/1/15 Integration Essay I chose to pursue the Interdisciplinary Degree with the cognates of Psychology and Religion. These are two very different topics, but together hold weight to further therapy, personal improvement and growth for those in need. Having a cognate in religion will allow me to exercise strong analytical and original thinking skills that will develop my ability to empathize with my fellow human beings (Emory). My other cognate is psychology which is the study of the mind and behavior. With this cognate, I will advance my ability to communicate with others, understand myself, expand my insight and critical thinking abilities (Wikipedia). Together these cognates will provide an impeccable foundation and wisdom with which to become the individual that I want to be in order to achieve my career goals. King Solomon is usually remembered as a wise man. He also had a profound knowledge of human nature (Solomon). Solomon's concern with the ethics of everyday life is evident in his Proverbs. They show that Solomon loved wisdom and was always trying to teach it to others. They also indicate that he was a keen observer who could learn from the mistakes of others. Like Solomon, these cognates will open my eyes to human nature and provide a greater insight with which to address the turmoils and emotional struggles...
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...A Summary on Narcissism, Pragmatism, Unbridled Restlessness and the Non-Contemplative Personality In this chapter, Rolheiser presents to us three main factors that militates against contemplation, and fosters a non-contemplative personality by pointing out how our own self-interests blocks us from having a purity of heart needed to see God. These factors are namely Narcissism, Pragmatism and Unbridled Restlessness. Narcissism is defined in Freudian psychology as “excessive self-preoccupation. This entails a propensity for individualism and our corresponding inability to be healthily aware of and concerned about the reality beyond our private lives. In other words, Narcissism is the state of being obsessed with one’s self to the point that everything beyond one’s self is deemed irrelevant. Narcissistic people lack a sense of the communal and lack a sense of reality beyond themselves because for them, the only real thing is themselves, they desire to excel above others, can’t act beyond self-interests and are becoming excessively private. Pragmatism comes from the word pragma, which means “business”, efficiency, sensibleness and practicality. In its philosophy, what it means is what is true is what works, wherein the truth should correspond to concrete utilities, practical consequences and can benefit the world. Basically, the worth of everything lies in achievements. This, in some aspects is good, as it benefits everyone. However, there are some aspects of pragmatism that should...
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...History without context is little more than the recitation of unrelated events, and history without specific events is little more than a fanciful narrative; therefore, history exists as an interrelated duality between specific events and context. It is through the eyeglass of this apparent duality that the great accomplishments of science come firmly into view and the haziness of opinion and speculation are carried out of focus. Accordingly, Mary Whiton Calkins's life and research is best understood within the context of her upbringing and the zeitgeist of the time towards women, within the framework of self observation, the method of natural science, and associationism; and as the original thinker behind paired-associate learning and the partial resolution of the structuralism/functionalism controversy. Mary Calkins was 57 years-old before she was legally able to vote in the United States of America. Up until the early 20th century the role of woman was universally agree to be exclusively as a wife, mother, and caretaker for the elderly in the family (Goodwin, 2005). In fact, it was widely agreed that any intellectual pursuit beyond primary school could be physically harmful to women. However, by the time Calkins was 25 she was fluent in English, German, French, and Greek; well-traveled and well-read, and a graduate of Smith College in western Massachusetts. Mary Calkins was the eldest of five siblings and the daughter of a Congregationalist minister. The friction between...
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...Woman In Psychology Sarah Buonarigo PSY/310 April 4, 2013 Ms. Gina Craft Woman In Psychology: Mary Whiton Calkins Mary Whiton Calkins was the first female President of the American Psychological Association and in the American Philosophical Association Mary came from a family who highly valued education. It was no wonder that Mary Whiton Calkins was a pioneer in the field of psychology (Gale, 2001). She was known to invent many research techniques and made important advancements in the area of memory that believed to still be used today. Although Mary did not have an easy entrance in the field of psychology she was able to get her bachelors and continue studying psychology (Goodwin, 2008). Mary Calkins was never considered an official enrolled student at the University of Harvard like she would have wanted in order to obtain her undergraduate degree, however she was able to attend classes as a “guest” of the University of Harvard which still allowed her to receive an education in psychology (Goodwin, 2008). Background Mary Whiton Calkins was born March 30, 1863 in Hartford, Connecticut. Mary was the eldest of five children born to Reverend Wolcott Calkins and Charlotte Grosvenor Whiton. Mary took on adult responsibilities at a young age due to her mothers failing mental and physical health. Mary earned a bachelor of arts in the classics from Smith College and began teaching Greek at Wellesley College in 1887 (Gale, 2001). One year later she was offered a...
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