John Dewey
John Dewey is another significantly influential figure in the development of pragmatism. Much of the reference to Dewey in this text is a defense by James against the particular criticisms leveled against him by proponents of rationalism. The underlying foundation of this criticism is based within a misapprehension and misunderstanding of his theories, according to James.
F.C.S. Schiller
Hugely influential on the development of James in his organizing his theories on pragmatism is German philosopher Ferdinand Canning Scott Schiller. Like Dewey, James rises to the defense of Schiller’s writings which came under attack by the rationalists. Worth nothing is that in Shiller’s own writings on the subject, what James terms pragmatism is referred to by Schiller as “humanism.”
Gottfried Leibnitz
The German philosopher Leibnitz was a major figure in the rationalist movement writing some two centuries before James. While crediting him with being more of an empiricist when it comes to facts than the typical rationalist, ultimately James dismisses him on the foundation that his grasp of reality was feeble at best.
Morrison Swift
Morrison Swift was a Socialist activist with a penchant for criticizing private ownership and capitalism to the point that many—including James—labeled him an anarchist. He immediately leavened this characterization with the assertion that Swift’s “anarchism goes a little further than mine does.” In particular, James reveals a significant degree of influence by one particular work published by Swift, a book titled “Human Submission.”
John Locke
Locke was an English writer who was instrumental in developing the philosophy of knowledge known as Empiricism. From the standpoint of pragmatism, James focuses on centrally on Locke’s development of the “personal identity” theory as an example of pragmatic compromise.
