A Brief and Exciting Introduction to William James, Prototype of Convergencias

Bauer's (2009a) sense about this sequential progression of interests in studies about William James is summarized in the following lines: "It's not quite right to say that William James was the greatest American thinker. It is more correct to say that he was not only the greatest American thinker. He was the greatest thinker of all time. Unfortunately, William James is perhaps the least well known of the world's very greatest thinkers. People who have heard of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes are more likely to think of Henry than of William when asked "Are you familiar with James?" But... But, if the ultimate goal of William James on Common Sense is ever reached, it will be because the time is ripe for restoring some of the world-wide fame that William James enjoyed in 1910, the year of his death. The time is ripe for several reasons". (p. xi)