The Letters of William James, Vol. 1James, William
General
The Letters of William James, Vol. 1
James, William
Intellectuals -- United States; James, William, 1842-1910; Philosophers -- United States; Psychologists -- United States
Under the title "Bain and Renouvier," James contributed a review
containing a brief discussion of free will and determinism to the
"Nation" of June 8, 1876. He of course sent a copy to Renouvier. The
following letter begins with a reference to Renouvier's acknowledgment.
James had been acquainted with Renouvier's work since 1868, when, as the
reader will recall, he read a number of the "Année Philosophique,"
Renouvier's annual survey of contemporary philosophy, for the first
time. The diary entry already quoted from the year 1870 has shown what
effect Renouvier's essays then had on his mind. His admiration for the
elder philosopher was great and he cherished it loyally for the rest of
his life. Indeed, in the unfinished manuscript, which was published
posthumously as "Some Problems of Philosophy," James looked back at the
formative period of his own philosophical thinking and wrote: "Renouvier
was one of the greatest of philosophic characters, and but for the
decisive impression made on me in the seventies by his masterly advocacy
of pluralism I might never have got free from the monistic superstition
under which I had grown up." In time he made Renouvier's acquaintance in
France and wrote to him often. He examined and discussed his writings
with college classes. Occasionally he reported these discussions and
read Renouvier's answers to the students. On the other side, Renouvier
paid James the compliment of printing or translating several of his
papers in the "Critique Philosophique," and thus brought him early to
the notice of French readers.
_To Charles Renouvier._
CAMBRIDGE, _July 29, 1876_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account