The Will To Believe by William James - First Printing from 1897

The Will To Believe And Other Essays In Popular Philosophy by William James This book is a First Printing from 1897 published Longmans Green and Co. This book comes with a pamphlet titled “Society of Psychical Research” which William James was the President of the Society. — James Eloquent and Important Defense of "Our Right to Adopt a Believing Attitude in Religious Matters" This, his first overtly piece of philosophical writing, is seminal for any understanding of William James' thought. Here he famously defends religious beliefs because of their beneficial effects on believers. A popular collection, these nine essays - written between 1879 and 1896 - were first published in an edition of 1,000 copies in March of 1897 and had to be reprinted twice that same year and many times thereafter. (See James, Will to Believe, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1979, pp. 307-8)Many of James's most important and innovative contributions are developed in this early book - including his advocac