William James's Pluralism

William James's Pluralism: An Antidote for Contemporary Extremism and Absolutism explores extremism and the related problem of absolutism in the context of the psychology and philosophy of William James.
Extremist and absolutist views were topical in James's day, especially around the time of the Civil War, but they are no less common in these early years of the 21st century. James argued that the love of singularities such as belief in one God, one method, one political system, or one value system contributes to extremist, even violent mentalities. In this book, James's views on singular versus pluralistic perspectives are explored and then applied to contemporary practical issues such as abortion, birth control, and death with dignity legislation. These perspectives are furthermore applied to more theoretical issues, such as causality, values, and methods or ways of investigating the world. Within William James's Pluralism, these theories are investigated in a comprehensive philosophical and psychological examination of the human experience.
Written in a nontechnical manner to appeal to the general public-just as William James hoped for his pluralistic philosophy-this book is additionally of considerable interest to academics and students across many fields such as psychology, philosophy, history, and sociology.

Wayne Viney is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Emeritus University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Colorado State University, USA. He has served as President of the Society for the History of Psychology and as President of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association. He is the author of numerous papers on the psychology and philosophy of William James.

Preface Acknowledgments 1 The Most Pregnant of All the Dilemmas of Philosophy Some Characteristics of Monism Some Characteristics of Pluralism Understanding Singularity Understanding the Drive toward Pluralism The Way Forward Notes 2 William James and the Tensions between the One and the Many Family Background Quest for a Career James the Academic Who Was William James? Experience Reality Time Individualism Pragmatism Radical Empiricism -The Man Notes 3 Moral Monism and Pluralism Abortion Birth Control Death with Dignity A Culture of Life; a Culture of Death Notes 4 Methodological Singularities Religious Singularities Critique of Religious Literalism as the Single Pathway to All Truth Science as the Singular Pathway to Genuine Knowledge Critique of Claims That Science Is the Singular Source of Truth Singular Methodologies in Political Systems Dangers of Singularities in Political Systems The Pluralistic Alternative Clash of Methodologies Notes 5 The Single Cause: God, Free Will, and the Reflex God Alone Critique of Theological Determinism Free Will Critique of Free Will as a Singular Explanation The Reflex Critique of Reflexology Critique of Monistic Theories of Causality Notes 6 Ontological Monism and Pluralism Materialism Mechanistic Materialism Emergent or Radical Materialism Gestalt Psychology Idealism James's Ontology Notes 7 James Quarrels with Monism as He Embraces Pluralism James's Temperamental Affinities with Pluralism Intellectualist Origins of Monism Absolutism Intimacy Rigid Orthodoxies and Untenable Combinations Problem of Evil Determinism and Fatalism Monism Fails to Fit with Human Experience Monism and the Collapse of Time The Pluralistic Alternative Notes Bibliography Index