英语故事William James.docx

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英语故事WilliamJames

英语故事

WilliamJames

 

威廉·詹姆斯,美国心理学之父。

美国本土第一位哲学家和心理学家,也是教育学家,实用主义的倡导者,美国机能主义心理学派创始人之一,也是美国最早的实验心理学家之一。

WilliamJames

 

WilliamJames(January11,1842–August26,1910)wasapioneeringAmericanpsychologistandphilosopherwhoweretrainedasamedicaldoctor.Hewroteinfluentialbooksontheyoungscienceofpsychology,educationalpsychology,psychologyofreligiousexperienceandmysticism,andonthephilosophyofpragmatism.HewasthebrotherofnovelistHenryJamesandofDiaristAliceJames.

 

WilliamJameswasbornattheAstorHouseinNewYorkCity.HewasthesonofHenryJamesSr.,anindependentlywealthyandnotoriouslyeccentricSwedenborgiantheologianwellacquaintedwiththeliteraryandintellectualelitesofhisday.TheintellectualbrillianceoftheJamesfamilymilieuandtheremarkableepistolarytalentsofseveralofitsmembershavemadethemasubjectofcontinuinginteresttohistorians,biographers,andcritics.

 

Jamesinteractedwithawidearrayofwritersandscholarsthroughouthislife,includinghisgodfatherRalphWaldoEmerson,hisgodsonWilliamJamesSidis,aswellasCharlesSandersPeirce,BertrandRussell,JosiahRoyce,ErnstMach,JohnDewey,WalterLippmann,MarkTwain,HoratioAlger,Jr.,HenriBergsonandSigmundFreud.

 

Earlyyears

 

WilliamJames,withhisyoungerbrotherHenryJames(whobecameaprominentnovelist)andsisterAliceJames(whoisknownforherposthumouslypublisheddiary),receivedaneclectictrans-Atlanticeducation,developingfluencyinbothGermanandFrenchlanguagesalongwithacosmopolitancharacter.HisfamilymadetwotripstoEuropewhilehewasstillachild,settingapatternthatresultedinthirteenmoreEuropeanjourneysduringhislife.HisearlyartisticbentledtoanapprenticeshipinthestudioofWilliamMorrishuntinNewport,RhodeIsland,butheswitchedin1861toscientificstudiesattheLawrencescientificschoolofHarvarduniversity.

 

Inhisearlyadulthood,Jamessufferedfromavarietyofphysicalailments,includingthoseoftheeyes,back,stomach,andskin.Hewasalsotonedeaf.Hewassubjecttovarietyofpsychologicalsymptomswhichwerediagnosedatthetimeasneurasthenia,andwhichincludedperiodsofdepressionduringwhichhecontemplatedsuicideformonthsonend.Twoyoungerbrothers,GarthWilkinson(Wilky)andRobertson(Bob),foughtinthecivilwar.Theotherthreesiblings(William,Henry,andAlice)allsufferedfromperiodsofinvalidism.

 

JamestookupmedicalstudiesatHarvardmedicalschoolin1864.AtHarvardhewasinspiredtostudytheology.Hetookabreakinthespringof1865tojoinnaturalistLouisAgassizonascientificexpeditionuptheAmazonRiver,butabortedhistripaftereightmonths,ashesufferedboutsofsevereseasicknessandmildsmallpox.HisstudieswereinterruptedonceagainduetoillnessinApril1867.HetraveledtoGermanyinsearchofacureandremaineduntilNovember1868.(Duringthisperiodhebegantopublish,withreviewsappearinginliteraryperiodicalsliketheNorthAmericanreview.)HefinallyearnedhisM.D.degreeinJune1869,butneverpracticedmedicine.Whathecalledhis“soul-sickness”wouldonlyberesolvedin1872,afteranextendedperiodofphilosophicalsearching.HemarriedAliceGibbensin1878.

 

James’stimeinGermanyprovedintellectuallyfertile,helpinghimfindthathistrueinterestslaynotinmedicinebutinphilosophyandpsychology.Later,in1902hewouldwrite:

“Ioriginallystudiedmedicineinordertobeaphysiologist,butIdriftedintopsychologyandphilosophyfromasortoffatality.Ineverhadanyphilosophicinstruction,thefirstlectureonpsychologyIeverheardbeingthefirstIevergave”

 

Career

 

JamesspentalmosthisentireacademiccareeratHarvard.Hewasappointedinstructorinphysiologyforthespring1873term,instructorinanatomyandphysiologyin1873,assistantprofessorofpsychologyin1876,assistantprofessorofphilosophyin1881,fullprofessorin1885,endowedchairinpsychologyin1889,returntophilosophyin1897,andemeritusprofessorofphilosophyin1907.

 

Jamesstudiedmedicine,physiology,andbiology,andbegantoteachinthosesubjects,butwasdrawntothescientificstudyofthehumanmindatatimewhenpsychologyconstituteditselfasascience.James’sacquaintancewiththeworkoffigureslikesHermannHelmholtzinGermanyandPierreJanetinFrancefacilitatedhisintroductionofcoursesinscientificpsychologyatHarvardUniversity.HetaughthisfirstexperimentalpsychologycourseatHarvardinthe1875-1876academicyears.

 

DuringhisHarvardyears,JamesjoinedinphilosophicaldiscussionswithCharlesPeirce,OliverWendellHolmes,andChaunceyWrightthatevolvedintoalivelygroupknownasthemetaphysicalclubin1872.LouisMenandspeculatesthattheclubprovidedafoundationforAmericanintellectualthoughtfordecadestocome.

 

AmongJames’sstudentsatHarvardweresuchluminariesasBorisSidis,TheodoreRoosevelt,GeorgeSantayana,W.E.B.DuBois,G.StanleyHall,RalphBartonPerry,GertrudeStein,HoraceKallen,MorrisRaphaelCohen,WalterLippmann,AlainLocke,C.I.Lewis,andMaryCalkins.

 

FollowinghisJanuary,1907retirementfromHarvard,Jamescontinuedtowriteandlecture,publishingpragmatism,apluralisticuniverse,andthemeaningoftruth.Jameswasincreasinglyafflictedwithcardiacpainduringhislastyears.Itworsenedin1909whileheworkedonaphilosophytext(unfinishedbutposthumouslypublishedassomeproblemsinphilosophy).HesailedtoEuropeinthespringof1910totakeexperimentaltreatmentswhichprovedunsuccessful,andreturnedhomeonaugust18.Hisheartfailedhimonaugust26,1910athishomeinChocorua,NewHampshire.HewasburiedinthefamilyplotinCambridgecemetery,Cambridge,Massachusetts.

 

Hewasoneofthestrongestproponentsoftheschooloffunctionalisminpsychologyandofpragmatisminphilosophy.HewasafounderoftheAmericansocietyforpsychicalresearch,aswellasachampionofalternativeapproachestohealing.Hechallengedhisprofessionalcolleaguesnottoletanarrowmindsetpreventanhonestappraisalofthosephenomena.

 

InanempiricalstudybyHaggbloometal.usingsixcriteriasuchascitationsandrecognition,Jameswasfoundtobethe14thmosteminentpsychologistofthe20thcentury.

 

Epistemology

 

Jamesdefinedtruebeliefsasthosethatproveusefultothebeliever.Hispragmatictheoryoftruthwasasynthesisofcorrespondencetheoryoftruthandcoherencetheoryoftruth,withanaddeddimension.Truthisverifiabletotheextentthatthoughtsandstatementscorrespondwithactualthings,aswellastheextenttowhichthey“hangtogether,”orcohere,aspiecesofapuzzlemightfittogether;theseareinturnverifiedbytheobservedresultsoftheapplicationofanideatoactualpractice.

 

“Themostancientpartsoftruth…Alsooncewereplastic.Theyalsowerecalledtrueforhumanreasons.Theyalsomediatedbetweenstillearliertruthsandwhatinthosedayswerenovelobservations.Purelyobjectivetruth,truthinwhoseestablishmentthefunctionofgivinghumansatisfactioninmarryingpreviouspartsofexperiencewithnewerpartsplayednorolewhatsoever,isnowheretobefound.thereasonswhywecallthingstrueisthereasonwhytheyaretrue,for‘tobetrue’meansonlytoperformthismarriage-function,”hewrote.

 

Jamesheldaworldviewinlinewithpragmatism,declaringthatthevalueofanytruthwasutterlydependentuponitsusetothepersonwhoheldit.additionaltenetsofJames’spragmatismincludetheviewthattheworldisamosaicofdiverseexperiencesthatcanonlybeproperlyinterpretedandunderstoodthroughanapplicationof“radicalempiricism.”radicalempiricism,notrelatedtotheeverydayscientificempiricism,assertsthattheworldandexperiencecanneverbehaltedforanentirelyobjectiveanalysis,ifnothingelsethemindoftheobserverandsimpleactofobservationwillaffecttheoutcomeofanyempiricalapproachtotruthasthemindanditsexperiences,andnatureareinseparable.James’semphasisondiversityasthedefaulthumancondition—overandagainstduality,especiallyHegeliandialecticalduality—hasmaintainedastronginfluenceinAmericanculture,especiallyamongliberals.James’sdescriptionofthemind-worldconnection,whichhedescribedintermsofa“streamofconsciousness(psychology),”hadadirectandsignificantimpactonavant-gardeandmodernistliteratureandart.

 

Inwhatpragmatismmeans,Jameswritesthatthecentralpointofhisowndoctrineoftruthis,inbrief,that“truthsemergefromfacts,buttheydipforwardintofactsagainandaddtothem;whichfactsagaincreateorrevealnewtruth(thewordisindifferent)andsoonindefinitely.the‘facts’themselvesmeanwhilearenottrue.Theysimplyare.Truthisthefunctionofthebeliefsthatstartandterminateamongthem.”RichardRortyclaimsthatJamesdidnotmeantogiveatheoryoftruthwiththisstatementandthatweshouldnotregarditassuch.However,otherpragmatismscholarssuchasSusanHaackandHowardMouncedonotshareRorty’sinstrumentalistinterpretationofJames.

 

Inthemeaningoftruth,Jamesseemstospeakoftruthinrelativisticterms:

“thecritic’strouble...seemstocomefromhistakingtheword‘true’irrelatively,whereasthepragmatistalwaysmeans‘trueforhimwhoexperiencestheworkings.’“However,Jamesrespondedtocriticsaccusinghimofrelativism,scepticismoragnosticism,andofbelievingonlyinrelativetruths.Tothecontrary,hesupportedanepistemologicalrealismposition

 

Willtobelievedoctrine

 

Mainarticle:

thewilltobelieve

 

InWilliamJames’slectureof

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