The Meaning of Truth

by William James, Fredson Bowers, H. S. Thayer

Overview

In Pragmatism, William James attacked the transcendental, rationalist tradition in philosophy and tried to clear the ground for the doctrine he called radical empiricism. The book caused an uproar; it was greeted with praise, hostility, and ridicule. Determined to clarify the pragmatic conception of truth, James collected nine essays he had written on this subject before he wrote Pragmatism and six written later in response to criticisms of that volume by Bertrand Russell and others. He published the collection under the title “The Meaning of Truth” in 1909, the year before his death.

The Meaning of Truth shows James at his best—clear and readable as always, and full of verve and good humor. Intent upon making difficult ideas clear, he is also forceful in his effort to make them prevail.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674558618
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	01/01/1975
Series:	The Works of William James , #15
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Fredson Bowers is Linden Kent Professor of English, Emeritus, at the University of Virginia.

Ignas K. Skrupskelis is Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction by H.S. Thayer

The Meaning of Truth

Notes

A Note on the Editorial Method

The Text of The Meaning of Truth

Apparatus

Emendations

Textual Notes

Historical Collation

Alternations in the Manuscripts

Word-Division

Appendixes

1. Abstract of "The Knowing of Things Together"

2. Abstract of " The Meaning of the Word Truth"

3. W. James's Statement

4. Annotations in Bertrand Russell's " Transatlantic 'Truth'"

5. Four Letters from William James to James B. Pratt

General Index

Key to the Pagination of Editions

Editorial Reviews

James (1842-1910), an early champion of pragmatic American philosophy, answered critics of the chapter on truth in his 1907 by synthesizing all had ever written about the topic into a book published by Longmans, Green in 1907. Dover reproduces the 1932 reprint. There is neither index nor bibliography. Cited in . Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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