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Ethics and Philosophical Critique in William James

  • Book
  • © 2015

Overview

Authors:
  1. Sarin Marchetti

    1. University College Dublin, Ireland

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
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  2. Introduction: William James, the Moral Philosopher

    • Sarin Marchetti
    Pages 1-8

  3. Pragmatism, Therapy, and the Moral Life

    • Sarin Marchetti
    Pages 9-47

  4. Questioning Moral Theory and the Shape of Ethics

    • Sarin Marchetti
    Pages 48-116

  5. The Life of the Mind and the Practices of the Self

    • Sarin Marchetti
    Pages 117-158

  6. Truth, Experience, and the World Re-Enchanted

    • Sarin Marchetti
    Pages 159-213

  7. Ethical Conduct and Political Activity

    • Sarin Marchetti
    Pages 214-247

  8. Conclusion: The Seeds of a Revolution in Moral Philosophy

    • Sarin Marchetti
    Pages 248-264

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 265-291
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Keywords

About this book

Marchetti offers a revisionist account of James's contribution to moral thought in the light of his pragmatic conception of philosophical activity. He sketches a composite picture of a Jamesian approach to ethics revolving around the key notion and practice of a therapeutic critique of one's ordinary moral convictions and style of moral reasoning.

Reviews

“Marchetti’s book not only reminds us of pragmatism’s broader issue, but also widens pragmatism itself in putting James into pluralistic conversation with other therapeutic and transformative tendencies of recent moral philosophy.” (Colin Koopman, Philosophical Quarterly, Issue 264, July, 2016)

“Marchetti's book is an intriguing representative of what can be regarded as a new wave of studies on James's moral thought. … I do find the book a valuable contribution to our understanding of James. … valuable reading not only for James scholars but for anyone with an interest in ethics … .” (Sami Pihlström, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, ndpr.nd.edu, December, 2015)


'Sarin Marchetti has written a fresh and strikingly original interpretation of William James's moral philosophy. He focuses on James's distinctive approach to ethics and also illuminates the full range of James's pragmatism. Marchetti shows how the goal of philosophical reflection in James should be a personal transformation in the way we understand and conduct ourselves. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in William James and contemporary moral philosophy.'

Richard J. Bernstein New School for Social Research, USA

'By reading James's pragmatism as a method, rather than a 'theory' of truth, Marchetti offers a radically new interpretation of James's pragmatist take on truth and reveals its profound links both to James's 'hortatory ethics' and his metaphilosophical concerns. This compelling and original book is bound to transform our understanding of James's work for years to come.'

Francesca Bordogna University of Notre Dame, USA

'Marchetti gives us a new William James, whose moral philosophy is no mere appendage to The Principles of Psychology and Pragmatism, but at the heart of their concerns. Building on the work of Wittgenstein and Cora Diamond, and finding his inspiration in James's explicitly moral writings, Marchetti convincingly argues that James is always practicing a 'therapeutic', 'transformative', and 'hortatory' philosophy.'

Russell B. Goodman University of New Mexico, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  • University College Dublin, Ireland

    Sarin Marchetti

About the author

Sarin Marchetti is Assistant Professor at Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy. He has written on ethics, metaphilosophy, pragmatism, and the history of analytic philosophy.

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