This is a compelling introduction to the life-affirming philosophy of William James. In 1895, William James, the father of American philosophy, delivered a lecture entitled Is Life Worth Living? It was no theoretical question for James, who had contemplated suicide during an existential crisis as a young man a quarter century earlier. Indeed, as John Kaag writes, James's entire philosophy, from beginning to end, was geared to save a life, his life and that's why it just might be able to save yours, too. THis is an introduction to James's life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychology - and an inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymous - can still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living. Kaag tells how James's experiences as one of what he called the sick-souled, those who think that life might be meaningless, drove him to articulate an ideal of healthy-mindedness an attitude toward life that is open, active, and hopeful, but also realistic about its risks. In fact, all of James's pragmatism, resting on the idea that truth should be judged by its practical consequences for our lives, is a response to, and possible antidote for, crises of meaning that threaten to undo many of us at one time or another. Along the way, Kaag also movingly describes how his own life has been endlessly enriched by James. Eloquent, inspiring, and filled with insight, this may be the smartest and most important self-help book you'll ever read.

The epic wisdom contained in a lost library helps the author turn his life around John Kaag is a dispirited young philosopher at sea in his marriage and his career when he stumbles upon West Wind, a ruin of an estate in the hinterlands of New Hampshire that belonged to the eminent Harvard philosopher William Ernest Hocking. Hocking was one of the last true giants of American philosophy and a direct intellectual descendent of William James, the father of American philosophy and psychology, with whom Kaag feels a deep kinship. It is James’s question “Is life worth living?” that guides this remarkable book. The books Kaag discovers in the Hocking library are crawling with insects and full of mold. But he resolves to restore them, as he immediately recognizes their importance. Not only does the library at West Wind contain handwritten notes from Whitman and inscriptions from Frost, but there are startlingly rare first editions of Hobbes, Descartes, and Kant. As Kaag begins to catalog and read through these priceless volumes, he embarks on a thrilling journey that leads him to the life-affirming tenets of American philosophy—self-reliance, pragmatism, and transcendence—and to a brilliant young Kantian who joins him in the restoration of the Hocking books. Part intellectual history, part memoir, American Philosophy is ultimately about love, freedom, and the role that wisdom can play in turning one’s life around.

"In his review of Sick Souls, Healthy Minds (Princeton 2020), New York Times Book Review editor John Williams wrote: "I'd advise you to read Kaag's primer...But if you haven't read James himself, do that first. It's wonderful that he inspires intermediaries to bring his thought to modern-day readers, but his cogent and humane work doesn't strictly need intermediaries. He remains ready to help you directly." Williams is right: William James does not need to be translated by contemporary theorists in order to speak to our present age. Sometimes the best we can do for James is let him speak to us in his own words, in the way that has inspired more than a century of readers and teachers. The idea for this collection is the result of listening to Williams' wise suggestion: gather the very best and most accessible of James's writings, tie them tightly to an existentially motivating framework, and let the readers come. The essays and selections gathered here will be geared to our present age, to an age that craves meaning, but generally dismisses traditional ways of tapping life's significance. James was one of the first thinkers tarry with what might be called "the modern predicament," a culture-premised on overblown leisure, comfort, sophistication, and excess-that seems intent on being dissatisfied with itself. This collection will be structured to mirror the six chapters of Kaag's Sick Souls, Healthy Minds and be motivated by the same question: Is life worth living? The selections from Be Not Afraid of Life present James-the-existentialist, who rejects determinism, argues forcefully for human freedom, articulates a healthy-minded psychology, urges his readers to explore the stream of consciousness, presents a novel formulation of truth based on practical meaning, and never forecloses the possibility of mystical transcendence. In other words, this anthology gives us a thinker perfectly attuned to the concerns of our present day"--

Traditional fine arts are often regarded as rarefied, something accessed by the uniquely talented and displayed in impressive museums or on lavish stages. Art thusly conceived is something that most people never practice in their lives. Yet in day-to-day life we all experience creative satisfaction through interaction with the physical and social environment that is a form of artistic practice. In Transformative Arts: Biological, Digital, and Everyday Aesthetics, Gary A. Berg explores what we gain through understanding ways to live imaginative lives and considers the increasingly important collaborative role of computers and interaction with nature.

This book explores how speculative thinking is shaping how we relate to our entangled social, mental, and environmental ecologies. It examines how speculative philosophies and concepts are changing geographical research methods and techniques, whilst also developing how speculative thinking transforms the way human, non-human, and more-than-human things are conceptualised in research practices across the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Offering the first dedicated compendium of geographical engagements with speculation and speculative thinking, the chapters in this edited collection advance debates about how affective, imperceptible, and infra-sensible qualities of environments might be written about through alternative registers and ontologies of experience. Organised around the themes of Ethics, Technologies, and Aesthetics, the book will appeal to those engaging with architecture, Black political theory, fiction, cinema, children’s geographies, biotechnologies, philosophy, rural studies, arts practice, and nuclear waste studies as speculative research practices appropriate for addressing contemporary ecological problems. Chapters 1, 3 and 4 are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

In Warren Buffett: Inside the Ultimate Money Mind, Hagstrom breaks new ground with a deep analysis of Buffett's essential wisdom, an intricate mosaic of wide-ranging ideas and insights that Buffett calls a Money Mind. What exactly is a Money Mind? At one level, it's a way of thinking about major financial issues such as capital allocation. At another level, it summarizes an overall mindset for successfully investing in today’s fast-paced stock market, a mindset that depends on a commitment to learning, adapting, and facing down irrelevant noise. This is not a method book. It is a thinking book. Warren Buffett: Inside the Ultimate Money Mind explains the philosophies of self-reliance, stoicism, rationalism, and pragmatism and their contributions to making intelligent investment decisions. It also outlines the evolution of value investing, discusses how to develop a business-driven investing mindset, and describes the defining traits of successful active management. Lastly, it examines the surprising aspects of a Money Mind – sportsman, teacher, and artist. In short, Warren Buffett: Inside the Ultimate Money Mind helps readers understand the building blocks that go into making a Money Mind so they can begin to incorporate its principles in the service to a life of value. Testimonials "An erudite masterpiece..." –Lawrence A. Cunningham, author; professor and director, Quality Shareholders Initiative, George Washington University "It's another must-read…" –Bethany McLean, journalist and Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair, author, Saudi America and co-author The Smartest Guys in the Room "Pure Genius! This is a game changer in investment books..." –Robert P. Miles, author; Executive in Residence, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Executive MBA Program, 'The Genius of Warren Buffett' "Effervescence and thoughtful analysis of Buffett's life and work..." –Tom Gayner, Co-chief Executive Officer, Markel Corporation "Hagstrom's books always enable readers to think about the world in new ways…" –Tren Griffin, author, Charlie Munger: The Complete Investor

A compelling collection of the life-changing writings of William James William James—psychologist, philosopher, and spiritual seeker—is one of those rare writers who can speak directly and powerfully to anyone about life’s meaning and worth, and whose ideas change not only how people think but how they live. The thinker who helped found the philosophy of pragmatism and inspire Alcoholics Anonymous, James famously asked, “is life worth living?” Bringing together many of his best and most popular essays, talks, and other writings, this anthology presents James’s answer to that and other existential questions, in his own unique manner—caring, humorous, eloquent, incisive, humble, and forever on the trail of the “ever not quite.” Here we meet a James perfectly attuned to the concerns of today—one who argues for human freedom, articulates a healthy-minded psychology, urges us to explore the stream of consciousness, presents a new definition of truth based on its practical consequences, and never forecloses the possibility of mystical transcendence. Introduced by John Kaag and Jonathan van Belle, these compelling and accessible selections reveal why James is one of the great guides to the business of living.