On the Experience of Activity: William James's Late Metaphysics and the Influence of Nineteenth-Century French Spiritualism

Dunham, J.

doi:10.1353/hph.2020.0039

On the Experience of Activity: William James's Late Metaphysics and the Influence of Nineteenth-Century French Spiritualism

Dunham, J.

Authors

Dr Jeremy Dunham jeremy.w.dunham@durham.ac.uk
Associate Professor

Abstract

Is there a particular experience-type associated with the exercise of agency? This question was subject to lively philosophical debate in nineteenth-century France. William James paid close attention to these debates, and for most of his academic life argued that the answer was "no." However, in this article, I show that a few years before the end of his life, under the influence of the French spiritualist tradition, he changed his mind. I argue that this change led to a global shift in his philosophical thinking. One major consequence of this is that he modified his philosophy so that it allowed a greater role for "objective" reality, and was consequently at less risk of the charge of "solipsism" directed at him by his critics. After this shift, James's philosophy could stand on much firmer ground.

Citation

Dunham, J. (2020). On the Experience of Activity: William James's Late Metaphysics and the Influence of Nineteenth-Century French Spiritualism. Journal of the History of Philosophy, 58(2), 267-291. https://doi.org/10.1353/hph.2020.0039

Journal Article Type	Article
Acceptance Date	Nov 7, 2018
Online Publication Date	Apr 30, 2020
Publication Date	Apr 1, 2020
Deposit Date	Nov 13, 2018
Publicly Available Date	Nov 13, 2018
Journal	Journal of the History of Philosophy
Print ISSN	0022-5053
Electronic ISSN	1538-4586
Publisher	Johns Hopkins University Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	58
Issue	2
Pages	267-291
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1353/hph.2020.0039

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Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2020 Journal of the History of Philosophy, Inc. Published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This article first appeared in Dunham, J. (2020). On the Experience of Activity: William James's Late Metaphysics and the Influence of Nineteenth-Century French Spiritualism. Journal of the History of Philosophy 58(2): 267-291.