In Pragmatism, William James attacked the transcendental, rationalist tradition in philosophy and tried to clear the ground for the doctrine he called radical empiricism. The book caused an uproar; it was greeted with praise, hostility, and ridicule. Determined to clarify the pragmatic conception of truth, James collected nine essays he had written on this subject before he wrote Pragmatism and six written later in response to criticisms of that volume by Bertrand Russell and others. He published the collection under the title "The Meaning of Truth" in 1909, the year before his death. The...

William James was a leading American philosopher and psychologist in the 19th century. James was the first person to offer a psychology course in the United States and he is often referred to as the Father of American psychology. James's brother, Henry, was also a famous author. James was one of the major figures associated with pragmatism and his book on it is considered one of the most influential on the subject.