Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking

James quotes British writer G.K. Chesterton extolling the great practical value of having a personal philosophy. James concurs: “you, ladies and gentlemen, have a philosophy, each and all of you, and […] the most interesting and important thing about you is the way in which it determines the perspective in your several worlds” (1). However, James confesses to feeling trepidation at his “bold enterprise” of exploring philosophy, or “what life honestly and deeply means” and “our individual way of just seeing and feeling the total push and pressure of the cosmos” (1).

James’s personal philosophy, which he will expound, is pragmatism. The founder of pragmatism—Charles Sanders Peirce—gave a series of lectures on it, and the audience had trouble following him. However, James is confident that his lectures will be interesting to his audience because philosophical questions concern everybody and are fascinating, even when all the technical points are not understood.

This opening material establishes James’s characteristic style—humble, warm, and personable—introduces the main topic in a friendly and disarming way. It is clear that the lectures are aimed at a non-specialist audience and, indeed, that James considers philosophy to be a topic of general interest.