Gerald E. Myers on William James

"James’s philosophy was an old-fashioned philosophy of life. It was not primarily logical analysis, the solution of puzzles, or the clarification of concepts from some related field such as art, religion, or physics; it included these functions, but it was considerably more. His philosophy integrated multiple beliefs into a systematic outlook which provided him with practical guidelines for conducting his daily existence. Thus conceived, philosophy was a subject for the man for all seasons, a pursuit for all moods. One could philosophize light-heartedly, professional, socially, conversationally; but one could also philosophize in the face of personal crises, as James did in 1870, at the age of 28" (1986, 45-6). 
[Photo culled from:  http://www.amazon.com/William-James-His-Life-Thought/dp/0300034172]