Creating One's Self: The Therapeutic Ethical Pragmatism of William James

Clifford Stagoll

doi:10.26182/5bbd4e2ec22e3

Creating One's Self: The Therapeutic Ethical Pragmatism of William James

Clifford Stagoll

School of Humanities

Research output: Thesis › Doctoral Thesis

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Abstract

A recent resurgence of interest in William James's ethics has focused on his notion of self-creation--making deliberate changes to one's own character and most settled habits in pursuit of a richer, more rewarding life. This thesis advances an interpretation of self-creation as James's response to the socio-economic circumstances of his day, derived from and integrating key themes from his metaphysics, philosophical psychology, philosophy of religion, and pedagogical theory. Contrary to more traditional readings, it shows that James's ethics is sustained (rather than diminished) by his diverse theoretical commitments, linked by a series of critical, though often overlooked, methodological decisions.

Original language	English
Qualification	Doctor of Philosophy
Awarding Institution	The University of Western Australia
Supervisors/Advisors	Rubin, Michael, Supervisor Levine, Michael, Supervisor
Thesis sponsors	Australian Government Research Training Program
Award date	14 Sept 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.26182/5bbd4e2ec22e3
Publication status	Unpublished - 2018

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Embargoed from 01/01/2018
31/12/2022. Made publicly available on 31/12/2022.

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10.26182/5bbd4e2ec22e3

THESIS - DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY - STAGOLL Clifford - 2018
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Cite this

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Creating One's Self: The Therapeutic Ethical Pragmatism of William James

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