William James His Life and Philosophy

Visit my new website: www.wescecil.com A lecture delivered at Peninsula College by Wesley Cecil Ph.D. on the the life and philosophy of William James. Part of the Modern Philosophers lecture series.
Download the lecture handout at www.wescecil.co...
For information on upcoming lectures, essays, and books by Wesley Cecil Ph.D. go to / humanearts
www.wescecil.com

[@amypellegrini1732]

This is so beautiful... recently I've been having a deep personal crisis, and for some reason I found a lot of solid tools to deal with this crisis from philosophy. I never thought philosophy would be so important to life, or the power it has to transform our approach to life. Like you cannot live too long, or have the capacity to respond responsibly without a certain philosophy of life to guide you, and this can be really tricky because if our thinking is wrong, the consequences are really bad. This talk was delightful and very good introduction to William James, thanks a lot.

[@virvisquevir3320]

Amy Pellegrini - When you study philosophy, you realise that nothing is nailed down and that everything is an open question, i.e., it blooms into sprituality. "Philosophy" is Greek for "love if wisdom". Wisdom to live a beautiful, authentic, ethical, potential-fulfilled, spritually-radiant life. The greatest problem of philosophy is consciousness - what is the subject observing, contemplating, organising, the object? Even oneself as the object. Even consciousness itself as the object. William James wrote a wonderful book called The Varieties of Religious Experience - highly recommended. Was your deep personal crisis more of an existential sort - what is the meaning of it all? - or more of a relationship with other people/an other person or physical health sort? I wish you all the best on your philosophical journey. Read the classics - original source - and come to your own conclusions. By their fruits ye shall know them.

[@frnkgt00]

59 years old. Just discovered William James! Thank you. Great Lecture !

[@artiexus]

your enthusiasm for the subject is delightful, I really appreciate you sharing these with the public

[@brynbstn]

@@stephen_pfrimmer worthwhile? Lol

[@TheMoQingbird]

Wonderfully engaging, and laugh-out-loud funny at points. Wish I'd had lectures like this in my academic days.

[@cheri238]

I have listened to this again. I would also like to add that I love Heraclitus as you quoted, "One can not step in the same river twice." I love William James's journeys, and the stream of consciousness reminded me of Krishnamurti. I am now reading slowly, Dr. Iain McGilchrist books, "The Master and His Emissary," plus his new book, and lectures, "The Matter With Things," The Divided Brain and the Unmaking of the World," Our Brains and Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World." Plus C.E. Jung, "The Redbook" Libra Novus edited and with an Introduction by Sonu Shamdasani. Subsequently, this is a lot of reading as I have to reread this difficult books over and over as I also go back over your lectures and I thank you. I hope you are feeling better.

[@DavidHolcomb1776]

I am so glad to have found this lecture series.Simply amazing teacher and speaker.He definitely has the "gift of gab" if you will.

[@Apollexis]

Yeah this guy is incredible and it's literally the only seminar I've ever found on Pre Socratic philosophy at all. It's really interesting. I hope this guy uploads all his work.

[@DavidHolcomb1776]

Me too,I am not currently in school so for me to get my fix of philosophy,politics,et al i must scan the internet and of all the speakers and teachers I've heard,he is a dynamo,for sure,I truly hope he keeps uploading all his lectures,they are amazing.

[@HanktheWonderDog]

William James is the greatest navigator/philosopher I've ever had the great privilege to come to understand. Your lecture is well taken, thank you.

[@annebronte4]

Here we are in 2021 and I concur that this is a great lecture. What great comic timing combined with clarity. Good work sir!

[@johnliu2373]

Your lecture is much better than Yale's, because you breath soul in them, deeply appreciated.

[@arterial]

A triumph of joyful communication in ideas. Bravo, Wes

[@nautilusnexus5120]

Great lecturer! He makes it **FUN**

[@SoldierofFortune07]

Great lectures Doctor Cecil. For a young man studying a B.A of Arts in French and sociology in his final year of his degree your lectures are pushing me further and further into doing philosophy for my Masters instead of French Literature.

[@TheSanityInspector]

I'm going to extract this audio & listen to it during my commute.

[@bluebotlivingston6016]

The best teachers always have a great sense of humor, amazing delivery! Thank you so much for sharing!

[@salvereginalaile4336]

Amazing profesor!

[@cheerossanjeev3218]

What a great teacher this lecturer is. Wish I had experienced this myself at Uni

[@sammydetroit]

Outstanding. I needed this to fill in my studies of Robert Frost, who greatly admired James. This lecture filled the bill perfectly. Thanks.

[@mattr2961]

Great lecture. Such a gift to be able to paint a complex idea with soft colors that are easy on the eyes. Makes learning feel like blissful leisure.

[@gracefitzgerald2227]

I found Pragmatism a little difficult to follow, but this guy had me totally in with this lecture.

[@bridge12582]

Wow this is delightful. Very entertaining, not what I expected lol great introduction before I start reading Varities of Religious Experience. Thank you for doing these and putting them up. Definitely going to check out your other videos

[@Not_Mii_Uus]

That was incredible! You made that very fascinating, and now I can't wait to further explore William James' philosophy!

[@jamespotts8197]

I would have loved to have had parents such as James William's; to value education and being an intellectual. What a true "blessing."

[@williamhicken1206]

Comes, partly, from being rich.

[@user-hu3iy9gz5j]

@@williamhicken1206 It doesn't "come" from being rich but being rich can certainly help the pursuit of knowledge

[@tebohomakoro]

Philosophy of altering our attitudes, our thoughts, patterns, paradigms is a fundamental truth that leads to so many break throughs in our lives. Dr. James is very pragmatic and we thank God for personalizing this great wisdom in Dr. James.

[@michaeldillon3113]

Varieties of Religious Experience is a monumental work which would be difficult to write today with its relatively easy access to information . It certainly gave me comfort as someone who was mystically orientated but at the time I read it was thinking that mystical experience was a very rare and bemusing thing 🕊️

[@JoseSantos-mp9re]

William James is a genius

[@funkyboodah]

I have not read most of the books discussed but I did read the Varieties of Religious Experience and I remember it being a lot more about the integration of the personality and the utility of the faithful outlook on life rather than subjectivity of personal experience... so my understanding of that book is very different that Wes'. Sort of casts doubt on the lecture as a whole, as entertaining as it is...

[@lynnfisher3037]

As Wm. James said, everyone is thinking and perceiving in totally different ways. Hello?

[@FRETTERFunk]

I came here, coz I listened to Gary Zukav and he was telling this name of a great psychologist and philosopher he admires so much. Thanks you for sharing this nice lecture

[@davidwaldheim1147]

Why m' I starin' at JAMES for an hour!--I wanna watch this magnificent speaker in ACTION!

[@willamato]

What a great & enjoyable lecture. Thank you.

[@sophitran]

Thank you ! Dr. C. My experience under William James definition is that your videos undeniable help people expand their neuron syntax. Beyond grateful to have stumbled on your Chanel !! Absolute gold !

[@tebohomakoro]

With this philosophy of Possibilities, we may switch patterns from bad habits to highly effective habits, and live a great life

[@ForksandFreaks]

Every time I rewatch this lecture, I always hear in the first bit about how William James is basically one of our (America’s) only philosophers, and I imagine Thoreau just hiding behind a tree in the woods with the saddest look on his face lol

[@gentlerereader8303]

Wes Cecil will take you Walking to discover Humane Arts. Try Jacques Barzun's *A Stroll with William James* to enjoy learning more about the great American philosopher.

[@courtneybyles1280]

Absolutely fantastic lecture! Wes Cecil I wish all of my professors had your enthusiasm! Bravo!

[@JustinMBailey]

+Courtney Byles yeah he's really good. It's really nice that he puts all of these on youtube for free, IDK if you've checked it out by try his "Leisure Series", it's amazing!

[@courtneybyles1280]

+Justin Bailey It's the first time I've listened to anything by him. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

[@tristanbruns5968]

23 mins in and this is GREAT! Thank you!!!

[@tebohomakoro]

fundamental to this philosophy although Dr. James was not a ideals, there is a world of timeless and changeless principles, and thus attuning to these principles of greatness, we live great life

[@WagnerPaivaCCB]

Amazing lecture, what a great teacher!

[@JakeLindqvist]

Awesome, thanks Doctor Wes!

[@michaelhands2189]

Awesome lecturer with infectious passion for the subject!

[@Jimbopjam]

Amazing . Love it . Accessible for everyone and entertaining.

[@arkantika3927]

another amazing presentation. I'm so grateful to find these lectures . thank you thank you!

[@Whatdahwhere]

Wes Cecil expresses philosophy in an entertaining way

[@ElephantMen]

Thank you SO MUCH. I’m so glad i discovered your lectures. definitely going to continue listening.

[@cheri238]

It would not allow me to undo sentences that I did not mess up. So, let me add this correction. Darwinism asked, What is its origin-and lost itself to nebulas; pragmatism asks, What are the consequences?--- and turns the face of thought into action. Nature? Lol Wow!!!! Pluralism, Principals of Psychology. If God is omniscient and ominopotent, we are puppets. Calvin's and fatalism are the blood of such a definition. And the we result to Hindew mystics and we become batons twirling, life continues on. Heraclitus is one of my favorite philosophers and he stated as you quoted, "One can never step in the same river twice." I love William James's journeys, this stream consciousness and thought reminds me of Krishnamurti, born in India and his foundation is in Ojai, California died in 1986, where he lived and taught as in England and India. Plus, also I have have been reading Dr. Iain McGilchrist books, The Master and His Emissary," The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World," plus his new book, "The Matter With Things," Our Brains and Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World." 1500 hundred pages with notes and his lectures. Thankfully I just got through with C. J Jung, "The Redbook," Libra Novus edited and with an Introduction by Sonu Shamdasani. Lots reading and rereading, as I do your classes over and over.

[@TatiLov3]

what an amazing lecture!!!... Completely helped me write my term paper!

[@candisdevito8514]

An absolutely outstanding lecture. Thank you for sharing that.

[@WilliamAbbate]

Loved it! Great presentation, although I wish it included video. James was an amazing person!

[@cheri238]

James sympathesized with socialism, but he disliked its ignorance of the individual and the genius. Cobwebs James is what he wanted to do away with. He knew he found no answers. He will be remembered for this empirical emphasis, the new realism than for his theory of truth. His last words was written and it layed on his desk" There is no conclusion. What has concluded that we conclude in regard to it. There are no fortunes and there is no advise to be given. FAREWELL. Become that lawyer, make millions on Wall Street. One might remain in the cities and stay psychopaths or one might buy a small farm to return to to grow a garden. A great short story by Tolstoy is "How Much Land Does One Man Need. "

[@lynnfisher3037]

Perhaps that's a book Bill Gates did not read.

[@chicagodiva100]

I enjoyed your video, very humorous, comprehensive and accurate. - UW- Parskide 2018

[@ajmlyons]

Excellent lecture. Informative and entertaining.

[@mikeg1745]

this was the most entertaining and informative lecture ive ever heard! thanx!

[@zapazap]

Little known fact: When Wittgenstein said that the history of philosophy could be told through jokes, he was thinking of Wes Cecil.

[@a.randomjack6661]

Speculating... Perhaps it is a sensing issue explaining why dolphins won't jump over a net? Echolocation might not be efficient enough to "clearly see" it's a net. Would you jump over a net in darkness? Maybe the net confuses the sensory system, it is diffuse in it's brain, could act like a fog because too many reflection points for their brains to handle much like radar confusing metallic foil strips act.

[@DenianArcoleo]

Great lecture. Now, one thing confuses me a lot: Wes says that James was an empriricist and most definitely not an idealist. But he also says, later on in the lecture, that James points out that we have no direct interaction with reality, tat all our experience of the world is through the interpretive organ of our mind. But I thought this ( our experience of the world being exclusively through the interpretive organ of our mind) WAS what's known as idealism.

[@psychologyis]

The audience is aliiiive!

[@Skatelifefool]

Good lecture, nice to have some humor throughout

[@thenameisjame1]

This was a very good talk; please make more!!

[@matthiaswayne9214]

Presentation well done

[@carlharmeling512]

You would never suspect this man was a contemporary with Nietzsche.

[@brockshen]

Excellent lecture!! It's funny that he wasn't drawn to Taoism, I always told people if you want to understand Taoism intellectually read William James especially his work on Habit and the Gospel of Relaxation.

[@hahnsheinie8193]

Thank you

[@neddelamatre9572]

Small but important error: Charles William Eliot, not Charles Eliot Norton was the president of Harvard University who reformed the curriculum of Harvard. It is easy to confuse the two names. They were cousins and both were professors at Harvard around the same time.

[@grant4735]

Wes, it's Bill James. good effort.

[@wannabeweirdo5977]

This is so awesome. Thank you so much.

[@Mark_1956]

Did William James have any spiritual beliefs?

[@user-fs5fc1vv7y]

When you talked about people have no experience of dying i coulnt help but think of the tom cruise movie "edge of tomorrow" where he literally gets bored of dying lol

[@lucaslivingstone-sitch5443]

It's an epicurean view

[@HxH2011DRA]

@@lucaslivingstone-sitch5443 Epicurus is GOAT

[@Laocoon283]

​​@@HxH2011DRA I would slap the shit out of epicurus though

[@Silvertestrun]

Ty

[@bastianleejones]

Great! Read his Varieties of Religious Experiences in my studies of religions.....

[@denissevaldiviac]

great lecture, thank you!!!

[@raginald7mars408]

As a German Biologist I wonder, why James is so ignored and not mentioned.

[@lynnfisher3037]

Didn't know that he was a German biologist. 😂

[@karmacounselor]

I like your delivery!!

[@hameddadgour]

Awesome lecture, thank you!

[@koroglurustem1722]

What a great lecture

[@funkyboodah]

15:00 radical empiricism

[@livinginfrance9204]

thank you - such a great lecture

[@Psyaii]

Fuck, this guy had the class more rowdy than the stand up I was just watching 👏

[@mileskeller5244]

I have always associated him with strictly pragmatism. I would have liked to hear a little more about that in depth.

[@christally3628]

Great lecture.

[@SyIe12]

👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Thank you. Great Lecture !

[@rodnielyon6036]

Great job!!

[@MsGnor]

Great intro! Inspired me to get his books :)

[@ItsCronk]

msGvious Did you read it though?

[@robertpirsig5011]

Great stuff, I'd love to have a lecturer like that

[@lynnfisher3037]

You do. You just listened to him.

[@Over-Boy42]

According to James's own work, the more you read it, the easier it becomes.

[@lynnfisher3037]

😂Excellent response

[@pchabanowich]

Wow! Thank you!

[@isaac-qe1wu]

Great work 👏

[@ViktoriyaG]

Sounds like a great teacher! Is there any more of his lectures?

[@jessicacarson4791]

Loved

[@arvindsuryawanshi49]

Very nice

[@sergiosatelite467]

Jonathan Edwards. Emerson. Charles Sanders Peirce. John Dewey. W.V. Quine. Hilary Putnam. Richard Rorty. And of course this is just a sample. When will we stop hating on ourselves and stop always looking up to Europe as the exclusive creator of “genuine” culture and ideas…ahhhh. How can you start a talk on James by undermining that which he called his “self-conscious mission.” Folks, there IS American philosophy. Pragmatism is a rich tradition with many fascinating voices. We may choose the narrative that’s forced on us that pragmatism is just practical and doesn’t even understand truth. But let’s not begin teaching fresh, impressionable students with the historically and palpable falsehood that we don’t have philosophers. It just kills credibility to say that James is our only philosopher in your very first sentence! No matter how entertaining the rest of your talk may be, or how much you make the kids laugh with caricaturesque representations of how silly people from 150 years ago were…Oh, Lordy. Thank metaphorical god at least KZbin does have some responsible disseminators of ideas.

[@tebohomakoro]

we may switch from deceptive patterns to truthful patterns

[@MagePeaceman]

Thank you.

[@tishku8885]

Awesome lecture. We have James solo, because only the very few wealthy and privileged had the time and energy to simply sit and contemplate life. The rest of the immigrants and pioneers were too exhausted working and farming 20 hours a day. They didn't have the time or money to travel worldwide or be bored enough to day dream. Take away his money, put James on a farm or in a factory and let's see what his brain creates.

[@DrewDHall88]

william james is the beez kneez

[@inthemomenttomoment]

Listening is far greater than seeing! 👁️People/$heople are more interested in looking than they are listening. 'Obe-1' said to Luke, "Luke, listen, 👂 don't look, Luke don't look,👀 search 🕊️ your 😄 feelings🤺 of Existence, Consciousness, & Bliss!🎺🧘🎺🎶🎯🤺

[@islandboboy77]

While meditating on Josiah Royce, This Porttrait was spinning in the galaxy with constellations happening in infinity beyond finite finitood...the real reason why Royce and James were best friends had everything to do with wisckers vs. Non-Wisckers, Smokers and Non-Smokers, and above all, if you need to shave your beards and hair since more follicles retain Co-Vid19 and the many morphed mutations of the original CORONAVIRUS! THANK YOU! You are very welcome!

[@TheRigtones]

Hi Wes. I don’t see a clickable link on your site to download the lecture notes. My goal is to utilize this lecture for a paper I’m writing on James... any chance you can point me to the file/download? Thanks in advance. In the meantime, I’ll keep listening here.

[@tapan.k]

They were in india, cleetus.

[@slugpowder4421]

“Or sail”

[@Echo-Juliet]

Guess you know John and Billy already.

[@AstroSquid]

The examples on animals intelligence is biased, truth is, in order to be smart something has to be stupid, and humans love the idea being that (smart), and since they communicate through a/their language they are smart, ignoring the things that have yet to pay attention to. Judgment is always selfish, knowing that is the best way to find objectivity in thought. It's also more true that the concept of smart and stupid is not real just relative to self concept, judgment is just the hopes that the world will be the reflection of what you know so that you can feel more secure in it.

[@denissevaldiviac]

Darran Douglas I will be taking some parts of your reflection with me, thank you for good insight. I particularly believe we shouldn't even grade intelligence nor categorize people between smart and stupid, it's just not helpful.

[@AstroSquid]

Hey thanks. Brain function has many facets, both as sensory input, and as practiced or wired associations forged through experience or conscious focus. Our beliefs of what brain function is, is more about our relationship to what we know or think we know about it which often has many misnomers especially in light of understanding of neuroplasticity. I'm not so much an expert but someone who's overcoming some difficulties which have been quite reveling to letting me know more about who I am and inversely who we are. I enjoy this subject so I have a tendency to go on and on.

[@publicme]

Some people can't be dead wrong? And stating this is the outcome of an empiricists philosophy? Funny how our court system is so full of individuals who commit crimes against others... But we can't say that those who indeed committed those crimes were objectively wrong?

[@Laocoon283]

Wrong is a subjective thing lol. Just because something is illegal does not mean it's wrong. The reason being is because all sorts of laws are themselves wrong.

[@nautilusnexus5120]

57:32

[@longliveart4362]

I appreciate this bio but do I have to attend school to learn