Ethics, evolution, and the psychology of William James

William James's psychology is here examined in the context of his normative ethics and his concern for evolution. James's notion of the strenuous life, the core of his normative vision, is shown to be crucial to his psychology of consciousness, self, attention, and will. Moreover, James's ethical concerns were not only implicit in his psychological writings, but his psychology delineated the human capacities which enable a person to engage in vigorous moral agency for the improvement of the community.