William James on Conceptions and Private Language

William James was one of the most frequently cited authors in Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, but the attention paid to James’s Principles of Psycho- logy in that work is typically explained in terms of James having ‘committed in a clear, exemplary manner, fundamental errors in the philosophy of mind.’ (Goodman 2002, p. viii.) The most notable of these ‘errors’ was James’s purported commitment to a conception of language as ‘private’. Commentators standardly treat James as committed to a conception of language as private, and the most notorious instance of this commitment can purportedly be found in his discussion of the feelings associated with logical terms like ‘and’, ‘if ’ and ‘but’ in the Principles’s chapter, ‘The Stream of Thought’. However, the received view stands in need of serious re-evaluation. In particular, there is little reason to think that James’s notorious discussion of the ‘if-feeling’ should be understood as an attempt to give an account of the meaning of ‘if ’ (indeed, there is little reason to even think that Wittgenstein interpreted him this way). The picture of our ideas developed in ‘The Stream of Thought’ sits badly with any theory that identifies meanings with ideas in this way, and while James’s chapter on ‘Conception’ (as well as some portions of Some Problems of Philosophy) has also been portrayed as committing James to the in principle privacy of language, it will be argued here that James’s account of our ‘conceptions’ is radically different from that of the private linguist

Jamesian Pluralism and Moral Conflict

While most pragmatists view themselves as pluralists of one sort or another, Talisse and Aikin argue thatthe two views are, in fact, "not compatible". However, while their charge may be true of the types of pluralism that they consider, these pluralisms all presuppose a type of realism about value that the pragmatic pluralist need not accept. In what follows, I'll argue that the 'non-realist' account of value that one finds in James underwrites a type of pluralism that is both substantial and compatible with pragmatis

Editor's Note

An update on the Alaska Justice Forum during times of change at the University of Alaska Anchorage, including the publication's transition to an all-digital format

Teens and sleep

Sleep is a very important part of the day for everyone. There are many reasons why people should be striving to get the sleep they need. However, many people are skipping out on an hour or two of the recommended time. This presentation is focused on teenage students, how their loss of sleep affects them and why they aren’t getting the amount of sleep they need. ● Teens aged 13–18 should sleep 8–10 hours per day, and 72.7% of high school students don’t get this amount. ● Many negative effects of sleep deprivation. ● Having a normal sleep schedule is just as important as getting enough sleep. ● Light plays a big role in resetting our sleep rhythm. ● Final hours of REM sleep are most important for retaining information. ● On average as children get older they begin to go to sleep later, with the same wake up time. ● Students don’t go to sleep earlier for earlier wake up times