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William James, and Other Essays on the Philosophy of Life

Josiah Royce · 1912

A 1912 book by philosopher Josiah Royce, a colleague of William James, including a central essay about James.

Written by James's Harvard colleague Josiah Royce, this book includes a firsthand essay reflecting on James and his ideas.

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William James, and Other Essays on the Philosophy of LifePDF · 328 pages
Josiah Royce, William James, and Other Essays on the Philosophy of Life, 1912. Scanned book, Internet Archive.

About this source

What it is

This book, published in 1912 by the Macmillan Company, was written by Josiah Royce, a professor of the history of philosophy at Harvard who knew James personally. It collects essays on philosophy of life, with one essay devoted to James himself. The scanned book is available as a digitized copy from the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

Royce and James were colleagues and intellectual rivals at Harvard, representing different philosophical traditions (idealism versus pragmatism). Royce's essay on James, written soon after James's death, offers a view from someone who debated and worked alongside him.

Look closer

  • Why might a colleague with different philosophical views be a useful source about James?
  • What might be gained, or lost, in an account written by a friend and peer rather than a stranger?
  • How does the date, soon after James died, shape what Royce chose to say?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of William James on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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