Democratic Temperament

April 28, 1997
In this brief work of political theory, Miller calls attention to the political dimension of William James's philosophical thought, an endeavor which he suggests has previously been overlooked by James's scholars. Miller writes that in the process of being a philosopher, psychologist and teacher, James embodied a `democratic temperament' which, if embraced by the contemporary world, could serve as a "healthy corrective to the distemper that characterizes so much of politics today." Situating James in the company of political theorists such as Alexis de Tocqueville, Hannah Arendt, and the social Darwinist Herbert Spencer, Miller poses Jamesian theories of pluralism and pragmatism as valuable, though often neglected, "tools" for democratic citizens. In James's emphasis on the "strenuous" or "significant" life--that is, dedication to public service, rejection of materialism, self-doubt, and the willingness to respect others regardless of their differences--Miller finds a model for political action and tolerance. Moreover, he contends that James articulated this model in a context not much different from our own: "flashpoints for hostility then and now include race, religion, region, gender, sexuality, and ideology". Though a provocative piece, this work is ultimately less revealing of James's political inclinations than it is of the author's. In part this is due to the vast amount of information that is alluded or relegated to the copious footnotes, which themselves account for a quarter of the book. Inclusion of this material would not only flesh out Miller's argument, which is by turns skeletal and contradictory, but it would enable his essay to stand alone as a work of Jamesian scholarship.