Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life
- Downloads：6758
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-05 10:52:00
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John Kaag
- ISBN：0691216711
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
From the author of American Philosophy: A Love Story， a compelling introduction to the life-affirming philosophy of William James
In 1895， William James， the father of American philosophy， delivered a lecture entitled "Is Life Worth Living？" It was no theoretical question for James， who had contemplated suicide during an existential crisis as a young man a quarter century earlier。 Indeed， as John Kaag writes， "James's entire philosophy， from beginning to end， was geared to save a life， his life"--and that's why it just might be able to save yours， too。 Sick Souls， Healthy Minds is an absorbing introduction to James's life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychology can still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living。
In 1895， William James， the father of American philosophy， delivered a lecture entitled "Is Life Worth Living？" It was no theoretical question for James， who had contemplated suicide during an existential crisis as a young man a quarter century earlier。 Indeed， as John Kaag writes， "James's entire philosophy， from beginning to end， was geared to save a life， his life"--and that's why it just might be able to save yours， too。 Sick Souls， Healthy Minds is an absorbing introduction to James's life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychology can still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living。
Reviews
Cal Davie
，
Beautiful。Part philosophy， part biography， part autobiography。Kaag writes how James' philosophical approach can potentially really help us！ I'm a fan of James， and agree with Kaags assessment。 James has a wealth of wonderful views that make this life a little bit more livable。 Wonderful， wonderful read。 Beautiful。Part philosophy， part biography， part autobiography。Kaag writes how James' philosophical approach can potentially really help us！ I'm a fan of James， and agree with Kaags assessment。 James has a wealth of wonderful views that make this life a little bit more livable。 Wonderful， wonderful read。 。。。more
Herb
，
Partial biography and explication of the thought of American Philosopher， William James。 Provides a "better way" to look at life， free will & determinism。 Very good。 Partial biography and explication of the thought of American Philosopher， William James。 Provides a "better way" to look at life， free will & determinism。 Very good。 。。。more
Bernard Davidow
，
Wonderful introduction， for me， anyway， to the brilliant Harvard philosopher William James from the turn of the last century。 It’s an uplifting philosophy and is sure to whet the reader’s appetite to learn more about James and his writings。 It certainly has for me。 James coined the term “Stream of Consciousness。” He was a convert to a belief in Free Will and the notion that we all have within us the power to be authors of our own lives， if only we exploit the opportunity。 The author brings us al Wonderful introduction， for me， anyway， to the brilliant Harvard philosopher William James from the turn of the last century。 It’s an uplifting philosophy and is sure to whet the reader’s appetite to learn more about James and his writings。 It certainly has for me。 James coined the term “Stream of Consciousness。” He was a convert to a belief in Free Will and the notion that we all have within us the power to be authors of our own lives， if only we exploit the opportunity。 The author brings us along on his own journey and explores the ways in which James spoke - and continues to speak - to him。 。。。more
Sequoia
，
I met a girl who graduated from Harvard psychology department。 She said she hates waiting in the parking lot for participants to come: on an icy Boston winter's morning， when she was waiting， someone jumped off from that building， right in front of her eyes。 She said she's not traumatized but I still trembled a bit listening to this。 And this book starts with the same incident。Some souls are just， for better or worse， more easily to be touched， and tortured， I suppose。 This is from a professor o I met a girl who graduated from Harvard psychology department。 She said she hates waiting in the parking lot for participants to come: on an icy Boston winter's morning， when she was waiting， someone jumped off from that building， right in front of her eyes。 She said she's not traumatized but I still trembled a bit listening to this。 And this book starts with the same incident。Some souls are just， for better or worse， more easily to be touched， and tortured， I suppose。 This is from a professor of philosophy， talking about how William James' writings saved his life。 I can see that many people would say he's previleged; and in a way he is， just like William James himself; but that doesn't make his sufferings un-suffering， if you know what I mean。 This book introduces a lot of James'writings to me， and I'll read some， when I have time。。。 。。。more
Zoheir M
，
ترجمه بد 😏
Robert
，
Whilst this is still a good read， it pales in comparison with Kaag's earlier works， and particularly Hiking With Nietzsche， whose style it more or less imitates in mixing auto-biography with high-brow philosophy and biography。 I felt that Kaag did not explain the James' philosophy， Pragmatism， particularly clearly， and， simply put， James' biography is simply not as interesting as Neitzsche's， and consequently， Kaag's autobiography similarly seems less interesting or as well suited to the philoso Whilst this is still a good read， it pales in comparison with Kaag's earlier works， and particularly Hiking With Nietzsche， whose style it more or less imitates in mixing auto-biography with high-brow philosophy and biography。 I felt that Kaag did not explain the James' philosophy， Pragmatism， particularly clearly， and， simply put， James' biography is simply not as interesting as Neitzsche's， and consequently， Kaag's autobiography similarly seems less interesting or as well suited to the philosophical lessons he is trying to explain。 I appreciate that a direct comparison with Hiking With Nietzsche is， perhaps， unfair， but this book seems set up more or less as a sequel， and so I read it as such。 。。。more
Christine
，
This was interesting， but ultimately I was looking for something that stuck to my bones a little more。 While I definitely appreciate the author's candor， I think I was looking for it to be a little more William James' philosophy centric。 This was interesting， but ultimately I was looking for something that stuck to my bones a little more。 While I definitely appreciate the author's candor， I think I was looking for it to be a little more William James' philosophy centric。 。。。more
Henriikka Hannula
，
The book hits a sweet spot somewhere between self-help and and introduction to James's life and philosophy。 Compelling， enjoyable and easy to read。 The book hits a sweet spot somewhere between self-help and and introduction to James's life and philosophy。 Compelling， enjoyable and easy to read。 。。。more
Carrie
，
This is the perfect length book for someone who wants to know a little bit about William James and his philosophy but doesn't want to commit to an 800 page biography。 I enjoyed reading about James' struggles （as well as Kaag's） and about pragmatism。 I love most that to the question "Is life worth living？" James answered maybe。 This is the perfect length book for someone who wants to know a little bit about William James and his philosophy but doesn't want to commit to an 800 page biography。 I enjoyed reading about James' struggles （as well as Kaag's） and about pragmatism。 I love most that to the question "Is life worth living？" James answered maybe。 。。。more
Eric Woodard
，
Book summary: William James taught at Harvard。 I went to Harvard。 William James wrote books while he was at Harvard。 I read his books while I was at Harvard。 James’ philosophy helped me Harvard Harvard Harvard。 Did I mention I went to Harvard？
Mario E。
，
Kaag is a professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts and his body of work centers around William James。 Sick Souls， Healthy Minds falls within the realm of popular philosophy， which is derided by academia。 The book is thought-provoking for the layman reader interested in philosophy who did not have a chance to have formal training on the topic。 I found Kaag’s book most refreshing because his arguments are simply stated and minimize jargon。 The observations are practical， and the Kaag is a professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts and his body of work centers around William James。 Sick Souls， Healthy Minds falls within the realm of popular philosophy， which is derided by academia。 The book is thought-provoking for the layman reader interested in philosophy who did not have a chance to have formal training on the topic。 I found Kaag’s book most refreshing because his arguments are simply stated and minimize jargon。 The observations are practical， and the anecdotes he brings up are most relevant。 Some readers may find his semi-biographical commentary off-putting， but if you read along， it shows you that we all have our failings even if we spouse great ideas。The book is broken down into six chapters。 The book’s subtitle is very apropos as it brings about contrasts between various philosophies and how William James dealt with such disparities。 The first chapter， titled Determinism and Despair， addresses the idea that the theory of evolution gave rise to the scientific concept of cause and effect， which leads to a deterministic view of life。 The development of science and proof-based philosophies seem to challenge the idea of human beings’ free will。 James talks about “the dilemma of determinism，” the fact that life is entirely determined by nature and suffered as one long， senseless tragedy。 He goes on to say that “determinism’s refusal to acknowledge possibility defaces the meaning of free will and vitiates moral judgments。”The second chapter is titled Freedom and Life。 It expands on the idea of free will and the choices we make in life as a challenge to positivism theory， which holds that the point of philosophy was to achieve certainty by sticking exclusively to the physical facts。 Kaag says that “during the mid-1870s， James was beginning to consider the possibility that human reason is not， as it has been traditionally regarded， governed strictly by logical dictates。 Indeed， certain beliefs can neither be fully deduced nor empirically verified， but life often demands we hold them all the same。” He goes on to argue that “when it comes to love， there is nothing to force my assent。 I have to give my assent before sufficient logical justification is supplied， and when I do， the evidence， it is hoped， begins to trickle in。” He concludes that once the human will is exercised with success or reinforcement， it is primed for future opportunities。In the chapter titled Psychology and the Healthy Mind， Kaag discusses James’ arguments about the importance of habits。 He says that “for a man intent in exercising freedom， the investigation of habit could have been very disturbing。 It suggested that the great ballast of human cognition – what allows us to stay upright in the face of a turbulent and complex world – is a growing bundle of routines and scripts that we acquire as second nature。” James believes that “for some reason， human existence matters most when we set goals and strive for undetermined outcomes。 Maybe we will fail。 Maybe not。 But in either case， it will be our failure or our triumph – and that ownership matters。” In his words， “we don’t laugh because we are happy， we are happy because we laugh。” The action itself is enough to bring about a particular affective state。 The choice of habits to actively cultivate and which emotions to feel may not be entirely up to us， but it is also not wholly beyond our control， he concludes。In my opinion， Consciousness and Transcendence is the most critical chapter in this book。 It deals with the question of whether consciousness can deal with the bounds of human finitude。 It attempts to address the relationship between the mind and the body， or as it is known today， the “hard problem” of consciousness。 William James spent time on the quest for transcendence。 The author states that “his studies of consciousness bled， almost indiscernibly， into his desire for transcendence， and he discovered that the mind possessed redemptive potentialities。” James believes the reason for science failure in studying human consciousness lies in its necessary objective， analytic method。 He suggests that the problem with this method is that it forever misses the subjective sense of consciousness， the perspective of the “mind from within。” James held that human thought was personal， continuous， and changing。 It is a seamless movement， always in the middle of things。 What he famously called “the stream of consciousness。” He goes on to explain， “when the stream of consciousness pace is rapid， we are more of a passage， a relation， a transition from it， or between it and something else。 As we take a general view of the stream of consciousness， what strikes us first is the different pace of its parts。”In 1874， Benjamin Blood published a pamphlet titled “The Anesthetic Revelation and the Gist of Philosophy，” in which he recorded his experiments with psychedelics to test the boundaries of consciousness。 The description of the experience and brain-altering moods gave rise to further questions about the relationship between body and mind。 He concluded that the gist of philosophy is its insufficiency to comprehend or in any way state the All。 In summarizing Blood’s insights， James explains that “the secret of being， in short， is not the dark immensity beyond knowledge， but at home， this side， beneath the fact， and overlooked by knowledge。” In one sense， the author claims， discovery is a matter of venturing physically and geographically elsewhere。 Still， in another， it is the act of waking up to what is always present。Truth and Consequences is also a key chapter in Kaag’s book。 James’s formulation of the pragmatic maxim boiled down to his claim that truth in ideas is their power to work。 “You want，” he said， “a system that will combine … the scientific loyalty to facts and willingness to take account of them， the spirit of adaptation and accommodation， in short， but also the confidence in human values and the resultant spontaneity whether of the religious or of the romantic type。” The author summarizes James’ maxim by stating that philosophy lives in words， but truth and fact well up into our lives in ways that exceed verbal formulation。 While pragmatism remains tangled， muddy， painful， and perplexed， it is also hopeful because life often warrants it。 Indeed， truth isn’t even an attribute of reality， something that can be objectively ascertained and correctly copied。 Truth is an attribute of our ideas， as one of James’ closest students， Ralph Barton Perry， noted “it attaches to ideas in proportion as they prove useful for the purpose for which they were invoked。” For James， moral rectitude is not keyed to our ability to follow rules。 Instead， being responsible is an issue of coming to terms with one’s actions and， even when unflattering， owning up to them。Critics like Bertram Russell would repeatedly argue that pragmatism was crass instrumentalism that tipped too easily into an “anything goes” worldview that prioritizes efficiency above all other values。 James countered that philosophy could be skeptical about the prospects of objective truth and logical abstraction without producing a vicious relativism。The concluding chapter of this book， Wonder and Hope， provides an uplifting message about pragmatism and William James’ teachings。 He is quoted by Perry in Live & Thought in 1935 saying， “the greatest use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it。” He goes on to say， “the art of being wise was knowing what to overlook。” “No fact in human nature is more characteristic than the willingness to live on a chance … between a life of which the keynote is resignation and a life of which is hope。” 。。。more
David Dunlap
，
This brief book is an examination of the thought of William James （1842-1910）， American philosopher and psychologist。 There are also elements of James's life mentioned。 The author strives to utilize both concept and life details in ways to make clear his own struggles in life。 -- As with many books in philosophy I read， much of this seemed to make little sense to me。 （It's my brain， folks， not the content of the book。） As such， it is difficult for me to know whether or not to recommend this volu This brief book is an examination of the thought of William James （1842-1910）， American philosopher and psychologist。 There are also elements of James's life mentioned。 The author strives to utilize both concept and life details in ways to make clear his own struggles in life。 -- As with many books in philosophy I read， much of this seemed to make little sense to me。 （It's my brain， folks， not the content of the book。） As such， it is difficult for me to know whether or not to recommend this volume to others -- or， indeed， to make an ultimate decision as to how well I liked it。 。。。more
Katie
，
A modern writer walks the reader through the philosophy of William James， a late-19th century Harvard philosopher focused on pragmatism， free will， and the worthiness of life。The author helps ease the reader through a subject which can often seem daunting or heavy--philosophy。 It's intense and deep reading in its original form， but the author relates it to his own life and to all our modern lives， which makes it more approachable。 And really， William James is fairly approachable as they go。James A modern writer walks the reader through the philosophy of William James， a late-19th century Harvard philosopher focused on pragmatism， free will， and the worthiness of life。The author helps ease the reader through a subject which can often seem daunting or heavy--philosophy。 It's intense and deep reading in its original form， but the author relates it to his own life and to all our modern lives， which makes it more approachable。 And really， William James is fairly approachable as they go。James grew frustrated with life early on due to some physical limitations and his natural intellectual leanings。 Then he was inspired to take the bull by the horns with life， deciding that it is what you make of it （without becoming emptily optimistic）。 He decided that you have free will if you decide you have free will， because the very act of that decision proves it。It's an interesting and quick tour through a heavy subject。 。。。more
Alex Beckett
，
Well written， engaging， insightful。 There are so many little tidbits in here worthy of lengthy consideration on behalf of the reader， which is testament to Kaag's expansive knowledge of the subject matter - I found myself incessantly underlining， annotating and circling think I wanted to reflect upon later， which often indicates that a book is *at the very least* interesting。 There's arguably a bit too much autobiographical work herein with regards to the author's life， hence 4 stars instead of Well written， engaging， insightful。 There are so many little tidbits in here worthy of lengthy consideration on behalf of the reader， which is testament to Kaag's expansive knowledge of the subject matter - I found myself incessantly underlining， annotating and circling think I wanted to reflect upon later， which often indicates that a book is *at the very least* interesting。 There's arguably a bit too much autobiographical work herein with regards to the author's life， hence 4 stars instead of 5， but some may enjoy the more conversational tone and real-life implications evoked by the autobiographical segments。 The only people to whom I wouldn't recommend this book are those who deem themselves to be so well-acquainted with James that this sort of cover-all-bases introduction would not give them anything additional。 Unfortunately - such exempt people are few and far between in a world that has forgotten the virtues of philosophical pragmatism "maybe"。 。。。more
R。
，
Not a bad introduction。 I would have liked more on how a pragmatist might approach politics but this volume is light on that。 Some good insights though， and seemingly a fine place to start。
Bill Berg
，
https://beingbeliefbehavior。blogspot。。。。 https://beingbeliefbehavior。blogspot。。。。 。。。more
Tan Zi Han
，
This short book was full of gems。 True to James's philosophy of pragmatism， I found this book very practical。 I'll share a few points。 James writes that our human mind is embodied and our mental thoughts are inseparable from our bodily lived experiences。 Not uncontroversial if you think about it。 However， the corollary is that when we change our minds， we also change our bodies。 Personally I've found this useful when manipulating the causal relationship backwards。 When we make healthy decisions This short book was full of gems。 True to James's philosophy of pragmatism， I found this book very practical。 I'll share a few points。 James writes that our human mind is embodied and our mental thoughts are inseparable from our bodily lived experiences。 Not uncontroversial if you think about it。 However， the corollary is that when we change our minds， we also change our bodies。 Personally I've found this useful when manipulating the causal relationship backwards。 When we make healthy decisions in relation to our bodies， it has a healthy knock-on effect on our minds。A lot of James's work revolves around determinism and free will。 Of particular interest to me is how this relates to love。 To James， both free will and love are radical， life-altering， working hypotheses， verified or disproved in experience。 Both require a type of initial belief of blind faith that might later be confirmed by time and experience。 He goes on to say that this even entails a self-deception - a willingness to act as if you have all the facts about someone when you don't。 Without being able to articulate it this well， this is something I've wholeheartedly believed in。 I don't know if one will have ever have all the necessary facts to take any action but to not act is to surrender to disengagement and paralysis。The last point I've bookmarked is something I keep coming back to。 This is John Kaag fulfilling his titular proposition - how James might save my life。 James understands our consciousness as a stream of consciousness - a rushing current of thoughts that flow and eddy in a continuous manner。 This has profound implications as to how we think and experience things。 If we accept this proposition of our consciousness as an unceasing flow of thoughts propelled by time and experience， then we must also accept that any state of mind is temporary。 "No state once gone can recur and be identical with what it was before"。 This， to me， is a comforting thought。 No matter how terrible one might feel at one moment， the quality and intensity of that feeling will change in the next moment and the next。 It is this concept that really underpins and illuminates what might be trite maxims like "this too shall pass" or "time heals all"。 In these times， I cling on to this notion dearly。 。。。more
Patrick O'Hearn
，
Kaag's weakest release so far。 Though， that may be primarily because his books have become quite formulaic。 A bit of memoir with a bit of biography and philosophical analysis。Nonetheless， recommended。 Terrific discussion on William James and his relevance to today。 Kaag's weakest release so far。 Though， that may be primarily because his books have become quite formulaic。 A bit of memoir with a bit of biography and philosophical analysis。Nonetheless， recommended。 Terrific discussion on William James and his relevance to today。 。。。more
Rick
，
It is certainly interesting to read John Kaag's discussion of the philosophies of William James， as James wrestles with issues of being， consciousness， and pragmatism。 I like how Kaag personalizes philosophy， giving it the added meaning of his experience。 It is certainly interesting to read John Kaag's discussion of the philosophies of William James， as James wrestles with issues of being， consciousness， and pragmatism。 I like how Kaag personalizes philosophy， giving it the added meaning of his experience。 。。。more
Shu
，
Unlike Hiking with Nietzsche and American Philosophy， this book actually intersperses less personal rumination on how to apply philosophical thinking on one's life even though the subject matter is pragmatism a la William James。 The few practical examples featured are either anemic or abstract， and thus not that helpful for a self-help book。 Perhaps Professor Kaag’s true intent was to spur us to pick up a primary source instead。“The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlas Unlike Hiking with Nietzsche and American Philosophy， this book actually intersperses less personal rumination on how to apply philosophical thinking on one's life even though the subject matter is pragmatism a la William James。 The few practical examples featured are either anemic or abstract， and thus not that helpful for a self-help book。 Perhaps Professor Kaag’s true intent was to spur us to pick up a primary source instead。“The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it。”--- William James 。。。more
Amanie
，
50%
Karen Carlson
，
I’ve been curious about John Kaag for a couple of years now， and was planning to read Hiking with Nietzsche， but the philosophy podcast people I follow were talking about this book since it was just published， so I got it instead。 I knew it had a self-help orientation， and self-help is not my thing， but I did want to learn something about William James。 At first I thought I’d made a mistake。 It’s primarily a biography of James， blended with Kaag’s experience of reading his work while going throu I’ve been curious about John Kaag for a couple of years now， and was planning to read Hiking with Nietzsche， but the philosophy podcast people I follow were talking about this book since it was just published， so I got it instead。 I knew it had a self-help orientation， and self-help is not my thing， but I did want to learn something about William James。 At first I thought I’d made a mistake。 It’s primarily a biography of James， blended with Kaag’s experience of reading his work while going through some things in his own life。 There’s less explanation of James’s work than I would have liked。But it turns out， when I sat down to write my usual blog post about the book， I found many wonderful ideas and connections to other ideas – from Confucius to DBT to yoga。 So even though I still don’t quite understand pragmatism （I did find a video that was helpful）， the book was enjoyable and informative。FMI see my blog post at A Just Recompense。 。。。more
Joule
，
"Maybe" l like it， "maybe" I don't。。。 For me， I do not accept that "chance" that life could be worth living because I don't deserve a life that is worth living， that is good， full of "zest"。 Fuck zest。 I hate zestful people。 Right， death cannot be undone。 But luckily your birth can be。 I don't have to suicide， but I don't want to go through it either， whether it's good or bad。 "Maybe" l like it， "maybe" I don't。。。 For me， I do not accept that "chance" that life could be worth living because I don't deserve a life that is worth living， that is good， full of "zest"。 Fuck zest。 I hate zestful people。 Right， death cannot be undone。 But luckily your birth can be。 I don't have to suicide， but I don't want to go through it either， whether it's good or bad。 。。。more
Matthew Oglesby
，
Great primer for William James's philosophy！ 210 pages Great primer for William James's philosophy！ 210 pages 。。。more
J Katz
，
Excellent book about William James and his life and thinking。 John Kaag shows how James evolved his thinking to come up with eventual ideas。 Fascinating and helpful。 Some Kaag's musings about his own situation were tedious and I felt unecessary- or rather contributed to making it more like a self-help book。 It really stands on its own well without that。 I was also surprised by the weaving the threads of stream of conciousness， determinism， free will and chance， into pragmatism。I also appreciated Excellent book about William James and his life and thinking。 John Kaag shows how James evolved his thinking to come up with eventual ideas。 Fascinating and helpful。 Some Kaag's musings about his own situation were tedious and I felt unecessary- or rather contributed to making it more like a self-help book。 It really stands on its own well without that。 I was also surprised by the weaving the threads of stream of conciousness， determinism， free will and chance， into pragmatism。I also appreciated who Kaag explained concerned about relativism。 A good read！ 。。。more
Nathan VanLaningham
，
Though focused on William James and filled with biographical facts about him， this interpretation of the master philosopher and psychologists' work was significantly different than the biography of Dr。 James by Robert Richardson。 The gist of this work is that James' struggle to not perceive himself as a cog in the deterministic machinery of the universe led him to a break-through， believing himself and all humans to have agency within the universe。 It went on to suggest that Pluralism and Pragma Though focused on William James and filled with biographical facts about him， this interpretation of the master philosopher and psychologists' work was significantly different than the biography of Dr。 James by Robert Richardson。 The gist of this work is that James' struggle to not perceive himself as a cog in the deterministic machinery of the universe led him to a break-through， believing himself and all humans to have agency within the universe。 It went on to suggest that Pluralism and Pragmatism were two unique contributions he made to world philosophical thought that were uniquely American and offered solutions to the dilemma of seemingly no free-will for creatures in an existence explained by Darwin。The author suggests that James' breakthrough can be claimed by all of those who struggle to find meaning in their own existence。 。。。more
Brendan Brooks
，
Quite short look at the philosophy and mental challenges of William James。 I think what comes out of it is to not *wish* or *expect* some divine or universe shaking change， just accept that what is， is， face it and grow from it。
Artephius
，
Reminds me I want to read more Wm JameaI liked the way the author brought his own life's struggles to the discussion。 A relatively quick read is welcome at this stage in my kife。 Reminds me I want to read more Wm JameaI liked the way the author brought his own life's struggles to the discussion。 A relatively quick read is welcome at this stage in my kife。 。。。more
Mary Holt-Wilson
，
Meh。 I'd hoped for so much more。 Meh。 I'd hoped for so much more。 。。。more
Jorge DeFlon
，