In our first joint class (nice to meet you all by the way), we discussed the way in which Socrates used a seductive element to his writing, which was meant to “arouse” the readers’ interest as well as make them more open to the ideas presented in the essay. In William James essay “Prgamatism’s Conception of Truth,” I believe he uses a similar method. Though not filled with athletic young men and their tales of romantic conquest, James manages to seduce his readers in another and equally effective way. What way is that? He puts the charm on.
Charm may not be as arousing as half naked Greeks, but it’s still nothing to scoff at. James, known to be a very charming individual despite some mental duress, has a very personal touch to his writing that makes it easy for the reader to like him. He presents his ideas as simply as he can, never patronizes his readers, and – even better – is constantly engaging the reader throughout the essay. For example, after explaining for a few pages his pragmatists views on truth and its relation to reality James takes a moment to say “I have lead you through a very sandy desert. But now, if I may be allowed so vulgar an expression, we begin to taste the milk in the coconut” (pg 122 of Pragmatism: A Reader). This is a very James thing to do. After speaking at length about his ideas, James always takes a moment to remind the reader that he understands that they may not be completely convinced yet or else may need more information. He acts as our friend, our mentor who is helping us take our first shaky steps into the world of the pragmatist and if we don’t get it right away? Not a problem. James is here to help.
It is because of how personable and persuasive James is that he is able to seduce his readers. I may hate baseball, but if a hot guy smiles at me, asks if he can explain how the stats work and then comments on how well I’m doing to keep up with him, you know what? I’m sure as hell going to try and understand everything he’s saying. James is flirting with us and because he’s just so good at it, we can’t help but get swept up. He makes us want to understand pragmatism if only because we want to make him proud…even if he may be dead and buried. What Socrates does with the hard bodies, James does with a few compliments.
In conclusion, I think I speak for everyone when I say if you want to get someone to understand your philosophy, you should seduce the hell out of them.
I agree! The sensitivity and cordiality James’s shows to his reader is not unlike the manner a young gentlemen caller would show towards his sweetheart when trying to win her hand for an evening of walking. Even the reader who comes to this text less than curious about the consequences Pragmatism may play in her own life, can not help being captivated by the unusual anecdote with which James’s starts his piece. It is true, when most philosophers write they are on the attack, and oftentimes they become so passionate about proving the correctness of their position, they intimidate or offend inquisitive readers who are not prepared or have no interest in lining up for a rhetorical duel. I love the asides James’s provide in his work like the one you’ve quoted above; they are so reassuring. How many times have I found myself immersed in a text, asking myself, “Do I have even a remotely cogent idea of what’s going on right now?” James is not about to abandon his reader for the sake of one upping his opponent by employing unnecessary technicality. Indeed, I believe that is one of his major criticisms of rationalism—it is too ostentatious, it is somewhat like a car with a ten thousand dollar paint job that is propped up on the blocks, it looks great and all, but it isn’t going to get you to where you need to go when you hop in the driver’s seat.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t read the essay you’re talking about so I can’t agree or disagree with the statement that James charms his readers. However, to continue the concept of seduction, I think you’ve done a fairly good job at seducing me into wanting to read the essay in question. Your descriptions of how personable and charming James is make him seem very appealing. Also, you mentioned that James “never patronizes his readers.” A lot of times when I’m reading a persuasive essay I feel as if the writer is in fact patronizing me, so the idea that James does the exact opposite of that is very enticing.
ReplyDeleteYou say that James is different than Socrates in the way that Socrates uses a much more sexual kind of seduction, but I’m not exactly sure that James doesn’t do that as well. Of course, I can’t be sure because I’ve only read the quotes you’ve given me, but that statement about coconuts doesn’t really seem all that innocent. The only difference seems to be the way that the two men present their “arousing” statements. Socrates, Plato’s mouthpiece, seems to take an almost spiteful glee in blatantly arousing the minds and bodies of his young interlocutors, whereas James seems to take a more subtle, apologetic approach. In the end, both writers are extremely seductive, but they use vastly different techniques to seduce us into understanding them.