William James

Linda Simon (Skidmore College)
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William James (1842-1910) was a noted philosopher and public intellectual whose works include writings and lectures on psychology, religion, education, and morality. As author of

The Principles of Psychology 

(1890) and director of Harvard University’s psychology laboratory, he was known as the father of American Psychology.

James was born in New York City on January 11, 1842, the first child of Henry James and his wife, Mary. By 1848, he had four siblings: Henry, who became the famous novelist, was born in 1843; Garth Wilkinson, in 1845; Robertson in 1846; and Alice, in 1848. The James children were educated largely at home by a succession of tutors with whom their father, sooner or later, became dissatisfied. Although William spent his early childhood in Manhattan, for much of his

2098 words

Citation: Simon, Linda. "William James". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001; last revised 27 January 2019. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2340, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2340 William James 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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