The Essence of Humanism
E661627
"The Essence of Humanism" is an essay by William James that articulates his humanistic philosophy by emphasizing the practical, experiential, and pluralistic nature of truth and meaning in human life.
Statements (39)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
essay
ⓘ
philosophical work ⓘ |
| arguesAgainst |
absolute and fixed conceptions of truth
ⓘ
purely rationalistic or intellectualist accounts of knowledge ⓘ |
| author | William James NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| clarifies |
James’s conception of humanism as a philosophical method
ⓘ
the relation between human needs and the concept of truth ⓘ |
| concerns |
how truths become true through verification in experience
ⓘ
the human contribution to the constitution of reality-as-known ⓘ |
| emphasizes |
experiential basis of truth
ⓘ
human perspective in the formation of meaning ⓘ pluralistic conception of reality ⓘ practical consequences of beliefs ⓘ |
| genre | philosophical essay ⓘ |
| influenced |
20th-century discussions of humanistic philosophy
ⓘ
later pragmatist interpretations of humanism ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
empiricism
ⓘ
pragmatic theory of truth ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainTopic |
experience
ⓘ
humanism ⓘ pluralism ⓘ pragmatism ⓘ theory of truth ⓘ |
| philosophicalPosition |
knowledge is fallible and revisable
ⓘ
multiple perspectives can yield valid truths ⓘ truth is not independent of human purposes ⓘ |
| philosophicalSchool | American pragmatism NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| philosophicalTheme |
pluralistic universe
ⓘ
the practical test of ideas ⓘ the role of human interests in knowledge ⓘ |
| positionWithinOeuvre | key expression of William James’s mature humanistic pragmatism ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
Pragmatism (book)
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
The Meaning of Truth NERFINISHED ⓘ The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| setsInOpposition | humanistic pragmatism and abstract rationalism ⓘ |
| supportsView |
meaning is grounded in lived human practices
ⓘ
reality is accessed through human experience and interests ⓘ truth is what works in human experience ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.