The "cash value" of truth
James held that truth is not static correspondence with reality but whether an idea can be "cashed out" in experience for workable results — truth is something that happens to an idea.
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William James
Leading pragmatist; pioneer of modern psychology
Those Who Ground an Idea Into a Whole System · Disciples & School-Builders
PragmatismPsychologyReligious experience
Who they are
William James (1842–1910), American philosopher and founder of modern psychology, popularized pragmatism as "truth is what works" — an idea is true if it proves useful in experience. He coined the "stream of consciousness" and his study of religious experience remains influential.
Primary sourcesJames, Pragmatism, The Varieties of Religious Experience, The Principles of Psychology
Key stories
Relationships
Disciple
Echoes today
Below are how modern works borrow or reinterpret this name or story — not the original material. The two differ, so keep them apart.
"Stream of consciousness"He coined the term, later a major technique of modern literature.