William James (1842–1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. He was a leading thinker in pragmatism and the philosophy of religion.
Born in New York City to a prominent intellectual family (his brother was novelist Henry James), William James earned his MD from Harvard and taught there for most of his career. His works The Principles of Psychology and The Varieties of Religious Experience remain influential.
James taught that moral philosophy requires a willingness to act on beliefs before they can be verified, and that religious experience should be evaluated by its fruits in human life. His pragmatic approach to truth and his serious engagement with religious experience have influenced both philosophy and the study of religion.