William James

William James (1842–1910) was a leading American philosopher and psychologist, often called the father of American psychology. Born into an intellectual family, he earned a medical degree from Harvard but turned to philosophy and psychology. His major works include "The Principles of Psychology" (1890), which established psychology as a science, and "Pragmatism" (1907), which developed the pragmatic theory of truth—that ideas are true if they work in practice. In "A Pluralistic Universe" (1909), he argued for a world of diverse, interconnected experiences, rejecting absolute monism. James also explored religious experience in "The Varieties of Religious Experience" (1902). His literary legacy lies in his accessible, engaging prose and his profound influence on philosophy, psychology, and education, emphasizing empiricism and individual experience over dogma.