# The Narrator — Pragmatism character guide

> The Narrator in Pragmatism by William James.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** myself, mine, Our, ours, ourselves, our, we

**First appearance:** 0002-pragmatism

## Who they are

A philosopher addressing a general audience, confessing his tremor at daring to make the cosmos vivid without going dry or technical.

## In the story

### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/chapters/dedication)

The author dedicates the work to John Stuart Mill, expressing personal admiration.

### [Pragmatism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/chapters/pragmatism)

The narrator introduces the concept of pragmatism and sets the stage for the philosophical discussion.

### [Lecture I: The Present Dilemma in Philosophy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/chapters/lecture-i-the-present-dilemma-in-philosophy)

James speaks in first person, sharing his personal conviction about the importance of philosophy and his own temperamental bias.

### [Lecture II: What Pragmatism Means](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/chapters/lecture-ii-what-pragmatism-means)

Presents and defends the pragmatic method throughout the lecture.

### [Lecture IV: The One and the Many](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/chapters/lecture-iv-the-one-and-the-many)

James presents his pragmatic analysis of the one and the many, using the metaphor of a fish in water to illustrate the relation between abstract ideas and concrete facts.

### [Lecture V: Pragmatism and Common Sense](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/chapters/lecture-v-pragmatism-and-common-sense)

Delivers the lecture, guiding the audience through the growth of knowledge and the stages of thought.

### [Lecture VI: Pragmatism's Conception of Truth](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/chapters/lecture-vi-pragmatism-s-conception-of-truth)

James himself, presenting and defending the pragmatist conception of truth against rationalist critics.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/characters/unknown_narrator
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pragmatism_se/characters