From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine the pattern of ideas in Warrior Dreams by James William Gibson. The plan of the research will be to set forth the principal lines of argument of the work, and then to explore the means by which the arguments are developed and resolved, with reference to classical sociological theories, modern theoretical constructs, and the method used by the author to elaborate themes and sociological interpretations, all with a view toward evaluating the validity of the through line of reasoning, interpretation, and recommendations made in the work.

The pattern of ideas in Warrior Dreams is to chart the response of a particular subculture to the transformation of society and persons in the popular American culture brought about by the disillusionment of the U.S. loss of the Vietnam war and the ..."

Abstract
This paper considers two questions relating to the 1902 book by William James, "The Varieties of Religious Experience." In the first part, the paper considers what James believed of the Supreme Being, finding that he believed in a remarkably pluralistic system, in which the God of the Stoics was as good as the Christian God. The second part of the paper considers James' views of what was the highest good.

From the Paper
"What is William James' understanding of the Supreme Being? In his book "The Varieties of Religious Experience", William James tried to present a theory that would bind the various religious experiences together. In the process of doing so, he articulated a view of religion that drew heavily from the American transcendental movement. As Eugene Taylor articulates in his introductory essay the centenary edition of "James' Varieties of Religious Experience", James thoughts on religion begin with Emerson and the beginning of transcendentalism in America. Drawing on the transcendentalist perspective, James concluded that "God, or whatever...""

Tags:james, religion, mysticism

Abstract
This extremely detailed term paper tracks the life of Jesse James from his days in the Civil War as a partisan raider through his life as an outlaw. It discusses the various segments of his career as an outlaw, leader, and gunfighter until his death and analyzes whether his actions should be vindicated or condemned.

From the Paper
Theodore Roosevelt, in Century Magazine of 1880, was said to have felt that the phenomenon of the western outlaw could only be understood if the absolute wilderness of the plains during the frontier period was taken into account. Jesse James is far and away the most infamous and best-known outlaw in American history. Modern culture, as evidenced by movies such as American Outlaws, depicts Jesse James as an "American Robin Hood": "His yew bow is a Navy Colt; his jerkin a faded blue coat. He never fails to distribute his stolen loot among weeping widows about to lose their homesteads. Old men receive his coat in the freezing cold with tearful thanks. He reduces to a bloody hulk the bully torturing the frail young farmer, recently arrived from the East to till the soil" . Perhaps more credibe individuals take the opposite view, and they write that: "Jesse James was simply a cold-blooded killer and a thief. There is no credible evidence that he ever gave one cent to a widow or anyone else in need, nor did he take up arms to help the weak. For most of his life he was hunted like a wild animal, able to survive only because he and his gang could intimidate weak-spined county officials or count on kissing kinfolk to hide them out" . But who was the real Jesse James? Was he more likely to defend the downtrodden or prey on them? The answer is probably none of the above. Jesse James was no more a murderous thug than he was a defender of poor farmers; he was the product of a brutal and violent Civil War and reconstruction era of American history."

Tags:american, bank, civil, cole, confederate, crime, frank, gang, killers, outlaw, pinkerton, quantrill, raiders, railroad, robbery, steal, thief, train, union, war, west, wild, william, younger

Abstract
This paper discusses the influence of William Shakespeare on twenty first century theater. Shakespeare was a great English playwright, dramatist and poet who he lived during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. He is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time. The paper shows that no other writer's plays have been produced so many times or read so widely in so many countries as his. Shakespeare had a tremendous influence on culture and literature throughout the world and he contributed greatly to the development of the English language. The paper examines how many words and phrases from Shakespeare's plays and poems have become part of our speech. It shows that Shakespeare's ideas on subjects such as romantic love, heroism, comedy and tragedy have helped shape the attitudes of millions of people. His portrayals of historical figures and events have influenced our thinking more than what has been written in history books. The world has admired and respected many great writers, but only Shakespeare has generated such enormous continuing interest. The paper discusses his different works for theater. Costumes trends, audiences and sets are also discussed. It also discusses the formation of Globe theater by Shakespeare.

Outline:
Abstract
Background
Life of Shakespeare
Shakespeare Career
Shakespeare's Influences on Theater
Costumes and Sets
Audience and Plays
Globe Theater
Structure of the Globe
Shakespeare and the End of the Globe
Development of Theater
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Everything had to be conveyed to the audience through words and there is little doubt that the audience had better memories and perhaps higher powers of attention than people do today, so that they took in and retained the information given to them. The majority people in Shakespeare's day could not read or write so they had to rely on word of mouth and on memory; this is in evidence in Romeo and Juliet when the Servant is sent to bid Capulet's guests to dinner. He can't read the list which he has been given and he asks Romeo to read it to him; he hears it read once and then goes off to find the guests; yet, there are well over thirteen people on the list so his memory must have been extremely retentive."

Tags:James, Burbage, Romeo, and, Juliet, Pyramus, Thisbe, Hamlet

Abstract
This paper discusses the life of William James and how his life affected his belief of free will. The paper addresses the events in the life of William James that influenced his belief in free will that are his birth, his studies, his personal works, and his mental and spiritual crisis. The paper concludes that the events in the life of William James show that free will does exist and that it affects every part of a person's life.

Tags:will, philosophy, psychology

Abstract
This paper explains that William James differs from other philosophers throughout history who seem to create a set of criteria for the establishment of truth; instead, James suggests the expediency of a true idea. The author points out that the fact that James discusses doubt and inquiry goes with his own overall pragmatic theories; therefore, any idea that "works" in any desired manner is to that extent true, which dissents from Aristotle's theory of truth. The paper stresses that there is no doubt that James in his own pragmatic and scientific way opened up a Pandora's Box of psychological views of reality, belief and truth.

From the Paper
"James seems to believe that it is the consequences, not past "truths" that determine the truth or falsity of a belief, a theory, or a statement. He contradicts the ages-old concept by arguing that "Those who contend that knowledge results wholly from the experiences of the individual, ignoring as they do the mental evolution which accompanies the autogenous development of the nervous system, fall into an error as great as if they were to ascribe all bodily growths to exercise, forgetting the innate tendency to assume the adult form." Does this mean that as we grow, as our emotions change, our truths change? For instance, if a little boy says his father is tall, but when the boy reaches adulthood and may be taller than his father, does that mean saying his father is tall is now no longer a truth? Perhaps."

Tags:pragmatism, expediency, doubt, inquiry, scientific

Abstract
This paper discusses the life of pioneering American psychologist and philosopher, William James. It analyzes his life according to Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. The paper looks at five stages of James' life, describes events in his life at those points, and then analyzes their meaning according to Erikson's theories on psychosocial development.

Table of Contents:
Infancy / Early Childhood (0-6 Yrs)
Middle Childhood (6-12 Yrs)
Adolescence (12-20 Yrs) And Young Adulthood (20-40 Yrs)
Late Adulthood To Death (60 Yrs +)
Conclusion

From the Paper
"William James' central conflict, as one biographer saw it, was between his "Promethean" and "mystical" selves: one manifested itself in the philosopher's pragmatism and democratic ideals; the other manifested itself via his long fascination with metaphysics, psychical research, higher consciousness studies, and the like (Raposa 2001). This dichotomy may be overly reductive, but it does show something of James' divided (yet highly functional) self. Observers agreed in describing William James as "tolerant, manly, liberal, romantic, impetuous, mystical, generous, anti-traditionalistic, sensitive, brilliant, kind, eloquent." They saw him, despite his self-confessed depressive states, as optimistic, anti-fatalistic and very sociable. Like all great men, William James possessed a complex, even contradictory nature, which he utilized to his advantage to create and push himself to higher levels of accomplishment, even in the face of depression and self-doubt."

Tags:consciousness, adolescence, adulthood, infncy, depression

Abstract
This paper looks at some of William James' works and shows how, within his writings, an entire unofficial school of psychology existed. It shows how James exemplified scientific creativity. He was interested in all facets of psychology, was deeply immersed in his field, and could effectively see the many sides of a single issue. The paper presents some excerpts from his writings to discuss his philosophy.

From the Paper
"Mind engenders truth upon reality. . . .Our minds are not here simply to copy a reality that is already complete. They are here to complete it, to add to its importance by their own remodeling of it, to decant its contents over, so to speak, into a more significant shape. In point of fact, the use of most of our thinking is to help us to change the world" (James in Fadiman & Frager, 1994, p. 299). When William James spoke these words, did he realize that he would embody his words? James? work is eloquent and powerful, poetic and parsimonious. He was a person who possibly thought with both his mind and his heart. James? work on the psychology of consciousness is currently studied and many of the questions he posed are still debated today (Fadiman & Frager, 1994)."

Tags:emotion, individual, mind, creativity

Abstract
This paper examines how on the topic of religion and the psychological undertones of such related experiences, Sigmund Freud and William James could not have had more differing opinions. It explores the theories of these great thinkers not with the intention of proving one correct and the other false, but so as to gain an appreciation and understanding of the ideas put forth by each man.

From the Paper
"The religious experiences which James studied, although often difficult for the subject to put into words, provided them with insight into the truth of reality and created a feeling of connection with divine. Although fleeting, these experiences often had profound effects on people and could convert atheists into believers. Generally, however, results were less extreme but still notable. Most people reported experiencing a lingering feeling of joy and freedom, as well as being more loving and harmonious. Overall, there was a shedding of the more negative character traits and a subsequent adoption of more positive ones."

Tags:psychoanalysis, psychology, religious

Abstract
This paper begins by explaining what Darwinism is and then discusses the way in which Social Darwinism developed. It shows that this group understood Darwin?s studies of species of the natural world; elaborated on these thoughts, and applied the concepts to society. It looks at William James's contribution to this school of thought.

From the Paper
"One of these such persons was William James whom has been called, "the greatest" and most original thinker America has [up to 1914] produced.? After beginning his secondary education at Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard in 1961, James entered the Harvard School of Medicine in 1864. He received his M.D. from Harvard in 1869; ironically, James never practiced medicine. After suffering some years of illness, he was appointed in 1873 as an instructor in anatomy and physiology at Harvard. In later years, he became an assistant professor of physiology and philosophy; he finally became a full-time professor of philosophy in 1885."

Tags:society, natural, world, evolution