Feminist Interpretations of William James

Erin C. Tarver is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Oxford College of Emory University.Shannon Sullivan is Chair of Philosophy and Professor of Philosophy and Health Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

“William James has often been praised for highlighting the more ‘feminine’ dimensions of philosophy, while being criticized for ignoring important ‘feminist’ considerations. The present volume focuses on and highlights this conundrum, and it does so in a rich and informative manner. James’s many contributions are acknowledged, but his work is viewed, and elaborated upon, from a broader perspective of feminism.”—William Gavin, University of Southern Maine

• ContentsPrefaceNancy TuanaAcknowledgmentsIntroductionErin C. Tarver and Shannon SullivanPart I: The Promise and Peril of James’s Philosophy for Feminism1The Feminine-Mystical Threat to Masculine-Scientific OrderCharlene Haddock Seigfried2“The Woman Question”: James’s Negotiations with Natural Law Theory and UtilitarianismJacob L. Goodson3Women and William JamesErin McKenna4Lady Pragmatism and the Great Man: The Need for Feminist PragmatismErin C. TarverPart II: Pragmatist Ethics of Care5The Energies of Women: William James and the Ethics of CareSusan Dieleman6William James and the Will to Care for Unfamiliar Others: The Masculinity of Care?Maurice HamingtonPart III: Embodiment and Emotion7Habit, Relaxation, and the Open Mind: James and the Increments of Ethical FreedomMegan Craig8James and Feminist Philosophy of EmotionShannon Sullivan9“A Perverse Kind of Pleasure”: James, the Body, and Women’s Mystical ExperienceJeremy CarrettePart IV: Epistemic and Narrative Contestations10The Will Not to Believe: Pragmatism, Oppression, and Standpoint TheoryJosé Medina11Incredulity and Advocacy: Thinking After William JamesLorraine CodeAfterwordCharlene Haddock SeigfriedIndex