{"product_id":"sick-souls-healthy-minds-how-william-james-can-save-your-life-9780691192161","title":"Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the celebrated author of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Philosophy: A Love Story\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHiking with Nietzsche\u003c\/i\u003e, a compelling introduction to the life-affirming philosophy of William James\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1895, William James, the father of American philosophy, delivered a lecture entitled \"Is Life Worth Living?\" It was no theoretical question for James, who had contemplated suicide during an existential crisis as a young man a quarter century earlier. Indeed, as John Kaag writes, \"James's entire philosophy, from beginning to end, was geared to save a life, \u003ci\u003ehis\u003c\/i\u003e life\"--and that's why it just might be able to save yours, too. \u003ci\u003eSick Souls, Healthy Minds\u003c\/i\u003e is a compelling introduction to James's life and thought that shows why the founder of pragmatism and empirical psychology--and an inspiration for Alcoholics Anonymous--can still speak so directly and profoundly to anyone struggling to make a life worth living. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eKaag tells how James's experiences as one of what he called the \"sick-souled,\" those who think that life might be meaningless, drove him to articulate an ideal of \"healthy-mindedness\"--an attitude toward life that is open, active, and hopeful, but also realistic about its risks. In fact, all of James's pragmatism, resting on the idea that truth should be judged by its practical consequences for our lives, is a response to, and possible antidote for, crises of meaning that threaten to undo many of us at one time or another. Along the way, Kaag also movingly describes how his own life has been endlessly enriched by James. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEloquent, inspiring, and filled with insight, \u003ci\u003eSick Souls, Healthy Minds\u003c\/i\u003e may be the smartest and most important self-help book you'll ever read.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Kaag\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eAmerican Philosophy: A Love Story\u003c\/i\u003e, which was named a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Editors' Choice and an NPR Best Book of the year, and \u003ci\u003eHiking with Nietzsche: On Becoming Who You Are\u003c\/i\u003e, which was also an NPR Best Book of the year. His writing has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other publications. He is professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, and lives in Carlisle, Massachusetts. Twitter @JohnKaag\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50528562741522,"sku":"9780691192161","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_44076d92-b14a-4437-b4c4-826887cfb321.jpg?v=1731330969","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/sick-souls-healthy-minds-how-william-james-can-save-your-life-9780691192161","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}