Agreeable Leading: William James as a Guide for Life

By Richard P. Mullin

This book wrestles with the question of free will, which the author supports versus a deterministic vision of the universe. Following William James, the author resolves the issue by applying pragmatic ideas tested in reality. The core idea of this work is that true ideas are judged by where they lead us. Unlike materialism, this view is open to a pluralistic universe. This includes a spiritual dimension, in which our consciousness has a transmissive capacity, an ability to pick up inspiration from outside itself. All of this serves as a guide to a richer life, in which we experience harmony with the world by means of "agreeable leading." Last, the author wishes that this was a book he would have read when he was young, and we invite you to do the same.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AllrOneofUs Publishing
• Release date: Feb 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215904480

Richard P. Mullin

Richard P. Mullin earned his PhD, in philosophy and taught philosophy at St. Bernard College in Cullman, Alabama for seven years and at Wheeling Jesuit University for thirty years. He also taught Business Ethics in the MBA program at Wheeling Jesuit. He has lectured in American philosophy in Slovenia and Slovakia and frequently read papers at the meetings of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy. In The Soul of Classical American Philosophy: The Ethical and Spiritual Insights of William James, Josiah Royce, and Charles Sanders Pierce (SUNY Press2007), he portrays the governing ideas of the founders of American Pragmatism.  Previous books from AllrOneofUs Publishing: Ethics and the Full-Breasted Richness of Life: A Roycean Approach to Nourishing the Good, and The Neglected Doctrine of the Holy Spirit: Josiah Royce’s Christian Doctrine of Life as a Guide to Renewing Theology.

Book preview

AGREEABLE LEADING:

William James as a Guide to Life

AllrOneofUs Publishing

Baltimore, Md & Huntsville, Al

Richard P. Mullin

Preface

My career consisted of teaching philosophy with a special interest in William James and Josiah Royce. I have always held, and I still do, that philosophy should not be a mind-bending exercise dealing with conundrums. A person who likes that sort of thing should get a good puzzle book. Rather, I see philosophy as a practical instrument—a way to wisdom. James and Royce, along with other great American philosophers, such as Peirce and Dewey, also saw philosophy this way. I tried to inspire students with a love for the kind of life-changing insights that the study of philosophy can present. I don’t know to what extent I’ve succeeded in my aim and I don’t even know how successfully I allowed philosophy to guide my own life. But now I am looking back and asking myself whether I can write the book that I wished I had read when I was in my early twenties.

To be sure, I read many good books I believe benefited me greatly. But now I think I can add to that life-affirming bookshelf with a book of my own, inspired by and filled with the thought of William James. Such a book will begin with the practical advice for living that James derived from his work and then proceed to a presentation of James’s best philosophical insights. I think that if anyone read only the first chapter; the insight gained would be of immense value. But I hope it would motivate them  to read the rest of the book, and then go on to read James’s own work.

You may have seen posts on social media that mock a philosophy major who goes deep into debt, hoping to get a non-existing philosopher job. I don’t know of, and cannot imagine anyone who expected to get something called a philosopher job with an undergraduate degree. Two points I want to make regarding this misinformed post. First, not everyone who majors in philosophy expects to teach philosophy. Philosophy majors almost always hope to go on to further studies in some field, often law. Secondly, the study of philosophy is not just for philosophy majors. The study of philosophy, if presented well, can be a valuable experience for anyone in any field. For one, it will help them to consider the underlying assumptions of their area of endeavor. The goal of philosophically aware men and women constituted part of the educational ideal of the Benedictine and Jesuit colleges in which I spent my career. 

The title Agreeable Leading should become clear after reading Chapter Seven on truth. James defines a true idea as one that agrees with reality. He then defines agreement with reality as a leading to an agreeable relationship with reality. The notion of agreeable leading describes all of James’s work. Those who follow James’s thinking will find themselves being led to an agreeable way of living.

Chapter I

James on the Problem of Life

We can look at the whole course of William James’s work as his effort to deal with the problem of life.[1] He was remarkably successful at working out this problem, and in addition to living his own life at a very high level of energy, sociability, creativity, and morality, he contributed seminal ideas in a wide range of fields. These areas include psychology, metaphysics, religion, philosophy of the human person, the theory of meaning and truth, and social ethics. Chapter Three of this book deals with his struggle against materialism and his rise from near psychological paralysis to the status of a beloved international teacher and leader of thought. The two opening chapters will present some of his mature insights that can enable the likes of you and me to live better.

The Energies of Men[2]

James covered an enormous variety of areas in his writing, but I think that if a person could read only one essay, it should be his 1906, The Energies of Men. The term men was understood inclusively at the time of his writing, and James explicitly intended his ideas to be relevant to women as well as men. In fact, he was appalled by the gender discrimination that was rampant in his day. His purpose was to show how all of us can increase our vitality in whatever field of activity we choose. If the essay could be summed up in one sentence, it would be, Mediocrity is only a bad habit. Most of us live below our capabilities because we stop working when we feel fatigue. But if we did not give in to this fatigue, if we pushed on, we would experience a second wind. We stop out of habit, which is why he portrays mediocrity as a bad habit, and one that we can overcome. The big question he asks and answers is: How do we learn to tap into our greater store of energy and what are the obstacles?

The short answer is that a feeling of fatigue ordinarily blocks us from continuing an effort in any field, and we can overcome this fatigue and tap into a larger store of energy by working through it. James refers to the phenomenon of second wind reported by endurance athletes in his time. As a physiologist he sought but did not find an explanation for this phenomenon. Today, the reality of a second wind is still recognized, and there are several plausible explanations. James contends that by not giving in to fatigue, we can increase our capacity not only for physical and athletic work but also for intellectual, moral, and spiritual work. He acknowledges that, while our capacity is not infinite, we can learn to work and live beyond our habitual limits. The main idea consists of realizing that there is a gap between our ordinary capacity for work and our actual limit. While pushing ourselves beyond our limits can be harmful, we need not confine ourselves to a range as far below our limits as habit accustoms us to do. The first feeling of fatigue constitutes a barrier, but energy abounds on the other side of the barrier. 

James knew that merely telling people to keep working when they are tired would not have much impact on anyone’s life. He had to find and explain what factors enable us to exert an effort that goes against our natural tendency to obey the feeling of fatigue. He poses the question using emphasis:

"...to what do the better men owe their escape? And, in the fluctuations which all men feel in their own degree of energizing, to what are the improvements due, when they occur? [3]

James observes that the increase of energy usually comes from some unusual stimulus or some idea that provokes us to exert more effort. His examples of such stimuli were duty, example, crowd-pressure, and contagion. Duty might stem from achieving a new office or position of responsibility. While he cites the example of President Theodore Roosevelt, he points out there are many more humble examples. He contends that women often live and work at a higher level of energy than men, especially in poor families when contingencies force the wife-mother to carry the burden of keeping the family functioning.

James provides many examples of how a person may wake up to a higher level of energy because of war, or a disaster such as a coal mine explosion or a shipwreck. But any of us in the ordinary course of our life can be raised to a higher level of energy by force of will. Such self-help does not come readily. It requires understanding that we in fact have the potential for more exertion than we have recognized until now, as well as the acknowledgment that we are living well below our full potential.

James offers three examples of ways to increase energy level in the ordinary course of life: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Yoga, and mind-cure religion. He mentions St. Ignatius only in passing. To explain the Ignatian idea briefly, the Spiritual Exercises serve as the training manual for Jesuits, and have been used by others as a method of prayer and meditation. The main point of this method is to use the imagination to picture, for instance, a scene from the Gospel. The participant involves all of his or her senses as much as possible. For example, he or she may imagine the sight of fishing boats, the sound of voices and lapping water, the smell of fish, and the feeling of a breeze. Then the meditator makes a decision on how to respond to whatever happens or was taught in the scene. The imagination gives the experience the effect of a real event rather than an abstract thought.

The practice of Yoga was another method that James recommended for increasing energy. Today, most Americans probably think of Yoga as a method of stretching exercises; it is that, but much more. James mentioned the breathing exercises, fasting, and the mental discipline that had been developed by Hindus. He gives an example of a European friend who developed his skill in Yoga and a remarkably high level of physical, mental, and moral strength, as well as overcoming a long-standing disease. However, James was aware that not many people would be willing to go through what his friend did to acquire the discipline. Many who tried would not make it, and there is no guarantee of success. So, James sought other methods.

He explains what in his day was called new-thought or mind-cure. The religion of Christian Science developed this type of thinking systematically, but it was part of the culture of the time, and James assumed it would become increasingly popular. One of the main themes of this method requires banishing all fear-thinking so the mind can open up those thoughts that produce health and energy.

For those of us living in the twenty-first century, there are many sources available.[4] The main idea we can take away from James is the presence of a gap between what we often think of as our limits and what our actual limits really are. The gap does not extend to infinity, but it reaches beyond the actual experience of most of us. To take the example of weight-lifting, those who take up this training learn right from the beginning that they need to alternate workout with recovery. A workout overloads the muscle and actually breaks down tissue. The day of recovery allows the tissue to repair itself and become stronger than before. Without recovery, burn-out, and maybe injury, would happen. But without overload, going beyond the comfort zone, very little or no progress would occur. 

What is true of weight-lifting may be true of any physical exercise, and in fact, any activity that requires effort. A wise athletic trainer or coach would not encourage an athlete to run through pain that might be a symptom of tissue injury. And, of course, nobody should try to run through chest pain that could indicate a blocked artery. But when we experience the discomfort of fatigue, we can push a little further, and little by little, increase our energy and stamina. James points out that we can increase our capacity for intellectual or moral work by pushing beyond our habitual limits. He contends that increased work does no harm as long as we take care of what was then called hygiene. This included good nutrition, sufficient sleep, and exercise. Each person can find out what activity best suits him or her for recreation. We each need to decide what things are most important in our lives and increase our energy for promoting them.

Chapter 2

Finding Meaning

On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings [5]

Among his Talks to Teachers and Students, James included On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings. The main point of this talk is that our values are based on feeling, and we feel most strongly about things that concern us personally. For this reason we place a higher value on own duties and interest than on that of others. This personal favoritism would not be a problem except that it causes us to devalue things that other people feel strongly about. In many cases we may be completely blind to these feeling and their objects. As James