William James — Questions and answers

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What did William James try to connect in his philosophy?

Choices

  1. Objective facts and subjective human experience. ✓
  2. Old ideas and new scientific discoveries.
  3. Different kinds of books and diagrams.
  4. People's thoughts and their dreams.

Answer: Objective facts and subjective human experience.

From page 1

According to James's 'Radical Empiricism,' what is the ultimate reality?

Choices

  1. Only isolated sensations, like single notes in a song.
  2. Experience itself, including the connections and flow between things. ✓
  3. Just the things we can see and touch.
  4. Only what philosophers write in books.

Answer: Experience itself, including the connections and flow between things.

From page 3

For William James, what makes an idea 'true'?

Choices

  1. How old the idea is.
  2. How many people believe it.
  3. Its practical consequences and usefulness. ✓
  4. If it sounds pretty.

Answer: Its practical consequences and usefulness.

From page 4

What kind of choice does James say 'The Will to Believe' applies to?

Choices

  1. A choice that is easy and doesn't matter much.
  2. A choice that is 'living, forced, and momentous'. ✓
  3. A choice where you already know all the answers.
  4. A choice made by someone else for you.

Answer: A choice that is 'living, forced, and momentous'.

From page 5

What did some critics worry James's pragmatism might lead to?

Choices

  1. People would stop thinking.
  2. It would promote sheer relativism or wishful thinking. ✓
  3. Everyone would agree on everything.
  4. Ideas would stop changing.

Answer: It would promote sheer relativism or wishful thinking.

From page 6

How does William James's philosophy help us in modern times?

Choices

  1. It tells us to never change our minds.
  2. It reminds us that our beliefs actively shape our reality and help us act effectively. ✓
  3. It makes us wait for proof before doing anything.
  4. It teaches us to just observe the world, not engage with it.

Answer: It reminds us that our beliefs actively shape our reality and help us act effectively.

From page 8