William James : Writings 1902-1910 : The Varieties of Religious Experience / Pragmatism / A Pluralistic Universe / The Meaning of Truth / Some Problems of Philosophy / EssaysI loved this book. It's a bit of a long haul to read though as it encompasses I suppose many books in one volume. The author in my opinion writes very well, it might take a bit of getting used to but believe me it's well worth the perseverence! The information he provides seems to be concentrated in each sentence, so if you're in for a casual read with a thought here and there on whats being presented you're gonna struggle to get the full worth of this book. Having said that, understanding comes in levels and I think to deepen your realisation of some of the ideas presented here a scan re-read could be in order! Just a brief word about style and approach. Like I have said in the title, common sense seems to shine through on a lot of the ideas here, with James seemingly steering us home taking us away from our wayward thoughts and bringing us to that place where he appears to be totally grounded. Definitely some different and refreshing approaches though, with thoughts of "yeah, that's quite good, I might have come to that conclusion had I really thought about it" coming when you read some of the passages. But I suppose his real strength, is his ability to penetrate into the heart of issues and expose the core of the matter at hand, and divulge points using the succinctness of logic. As much as he asks of himself he will ask of others, I refer of course to his critics. Some of the passages look at those who oppose his ideas, and where his strict governance of himself is telling in the text, he exposes the lack of veracity and looseness in his opponents words.
Overall then, a great book, with some great ideas giving direction and purpose to those willing to invest in thought and definitely (due to the length!) in time! --Reviewer: Daniel Lane (Paignton, Devon United Kingdom)
