The Geography of Strenuousness: “America” In William James' Narrative of Moral Energy

• Published in: Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 2016-01, Vol.52 (1), p.93-113
• Main Author: Colella, E. Paul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: American philosophy; Analysis; Chautauquas; Criticism and interpretation; Destiny; Energy; Geography; James, William (American psychologist); Metaphor; Moral psychology; Morality; Philosophers; Philosophical psychology; Pragmatism; Psychology
• ISSN: 0009-1774; 1558-9587
• DOI: 10.2979/trancharpeirsoc.52.1.06

Strenuous effort on behalf of moral ideals was a life-long concern for William James. Growing out of his own well-documented personal struggles as a young man, it was also a cultural phenomenon in late 19th century America. For many, the cause of the problem of depleted moral energy was environmental. Herbert Spencer's definition of mind as the correspondence of inner relations to outer relations lent intellectual support to this reduction of moral lethargy to environmental factors and writers such as George Beard and Theodore Roosevelt seemed to be in agreement. While many employed America as an environment in this cultural discussion, William James resisted this environmental reductionism and instead employed “America” as a metaphorical trope around which he organized his thoughts on moral energy. This was no mere literary device on James' part, but instead a reflection of his own disagreements with Spencer that led James to articulate his own groundbreaking model of consciousness as reflex action. As the framework for addressing the issue of moral strenuousness.