Athena Rare Books Archives - Rare Book Insider

Essays in Radical Empiricism.

1 leaf with book ads on verso + TP + iii-[xiii] = Editor's Preface + [xv] = Contents + 1-[283] + 1 blank leaf, Octavo. First Edition (McDermott 1912-1) First Edition of William James' Essays in Radical EmpiricismSelected Before His Death to Present a Systematic Outline of His Theories"Edited, with a Preface, by Ralph Barton Perry. The title and the contents of this volume were virtually selected by the author himself several years before his death. It was his aim to present systematically, the outlines of the doctrine of 'Radical Empiricism' which he regarded as of not less importance than 'Pragmatism'" (McDermott. p. 853).This collection includes James's groundbreaking essays "Does Consciousness Exist?" and "A World of Pure Experience" in which he explains one of his fundamental ideas: that mind and matter are both aspects of, or structures formed from, a more fundamental stuff - pure experience - that (despite the fact that it is called "experience") is neither mental nor physical. Pure experience, James explains, is "the immediate flux of life which furnishes the material to our later reflection with its conceptual categories " William James at his finest on his psychological theories! Original publisher's green covers (remarkably well preserved) with paper label to the spine which is very lightly worn and 100% readable (a rarity with James' books). A near fine copy of this final work prepared by William James as a systematic presentation of this ideas. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.