Damn great empires! : William James and the politics of pragmatism

__Damn Great Empires!__ offers a new perspective on the works of William James by placing his encounter with American imperialism at the center of his philosophical vision. This book reconstructs James's overlooked political thought by treating his anti-imperialist __Nachlass__ -- his speeches, essays, notes, and correspondence on the United States' annexation of the Philippines -- as the key to unlocking the political significance of his celebrated writings on psychology, religion, and philosophy. It shows how James located a craving for authority at the heart of empire as a way of life, a craving he diagnosed and unsettled through his insistence on a modern world without ultimate foundations. Livingston explores the persistence of political questions in James's major works, from his writings on the self in __The Principles of Psychology__ to the method of Pragmatism, the study of faith and conversion in __The Varieties of Religious Experience__, and the metaphysical inquiries in __A Pluralistic Universe__. Against the conventional view of James as a thinker who remained silent on questions of politics, this book places him in dialogue with a transatlantic critique of modernity, as well as with champions and critics of American imperialism, from Theodore Roosevelt to W. E. B. Du Bois, in order to excavate James's anarchistic political vision. Bringing the history of political thought into conversation with contemporary debates in political theory, __Damn Great Empires!__ offers a fresh and original reexamination of the political consequences of pragmatism as a public philosophy. Drawing together text and contexts, Alexander Livingston analyzes the persistence of political questions in James's major works, from his writings on the self in Principles of Psychology, to the method of Pragmatism, the study of faith and conversion in Varieties of Religious Experience, and the metaphysical inquiries in A Pluralistic Universe. While James is generally thought of as having been silent on questions of politics, this book places him in direct dialogue with advocates and critics of America imperialism from Theodore Roosevelt to W.E.B. Du Bois. Damn Great Empires! demonstrates the importance of William James as a political thinker, as well as his interventions in contemporary debates in political theory, to offer a fresh and original reexamination of the political consequences of pragmatism as a philosophy of faith and action."--pub. desc "Damn Great Empires! offers a new perspective on the works of William James by placing his encounter with American imperialism at the center of his philosophical vision. Treating James's speeches, essays, notes, and correspondence on the United States' annexation of the Philippines as keys for unlocking the political significance of his celebrated writings on psychology, religion, and philosophy, this book reconstructs his overlooked political thought. It shows how James located a craving for authority at the heart of empire, a craving he diagnosed and unsettled through his insistence of a modern world without ultimate foundations Machine Generated Contents Note: Introduction -- Ch. 1 The Political Uses Of William James -- Ch. 2 Cravings And Consequences -- Ch. 3 Taming The Strenuous Life -- Ch. 4 Stuttering Conviction -- Ch. 5 Tragedy, History, And Democratic Faith -- Conclusion. Alexander Livingston. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Treating William James's speeches, essays, notes, and correspondence on the United States' annexation of the Philippines as keys for unlocking the political significance of his celebrated writings on psychology, religion, and philosophy, this book reconstructs his overlooked political thought. Content: Machine generated contents note: Introduction -- ch. 1 The Political Uses of William James -- ch. 2 Cravings and Consequences -- ch. 3 Taming the Strenuous Life -- ch. 4 Stuttering Conviction -- ch. 5 Tragedy, History, and Democratic Faith -- Conclusion.