Monday, February 21, 2011

William James: Pragmatism and His Life Devoted to the Occult

  • William James and John Dewey are credited with the popularization and refinement of pragmatism. Pragmatism proclaims that the truth or worth of an idea is based upon the results it brings. Pragmatists believe that truth is relative, situational, and that a desired end justifies any means required to reach it. [1] John MacArthur has stated that pragmatism has sucked the life out of the Church.
  • James was the Father of American Psychology. [2]
  • James studied closely the schools of thought known as associationism and spiritualism. He was a Swedenborgian theologian, and heavily involved in the Metaphysical Club, all of which are the occult.[3]
  • James was a Harvard professor, psychologist, psychic investigator, and philosopher.
  • William James explored multiple vocations in his life-long quest for intellectual clarity and spiritual fulfillment. [4]
  • He was a Progressive Socialist. [5] [6
  • In 1899, he was the leader of Anti-imperialist League.[7]
  • James used hypnotism in his teaching and practice. [8]
  • He accepted Darwin's explanation of human evolution. [9
  • Published in 1902, his pioneering Varieties of Religious Experience, which concerned building a bridge between psychology and religion. It has become the cornerstone of scientific study of religion to this day. He considered himself a pluralist. [10
  • William James called for a serious study of paranormal phenomena and played a leading part in the foundation in 1885 of the American Society for Psychical Research.[11