The Weekend Pour: The William James Edition

Every Friday, bringing you a book, podcast, and article that I'm reading or listening to with a drink in hand.

Photo by Saori Oya on Unsplash

Welcome to the Weekend Pour, where each week I’ll bring you the books, podcasts, and articles that I’m reading and listening to with a drink in hand.

Philosophy isn’t for everyone. Most people go out of their way to avoid the hair-splitting, angels-dancing-on-the-heads-of-pins type of discussions that delve into obscure philosophical quibbles. Fair enough. But I’ve found a loophole: William James.

James, the father of American psychology, wasn’t necessarily fond of those debates either, likening them to chasing a squirrel around a tree. As a result, he founded an entire philosophical movement that had a more, shall we say, practical bent—pragmatism.

How does James and his philosophy tie into a Substack about mindful drinking? Well, James had plenty to say about alcohol—both its virtues and its dangers. His thought was also greatly influential in the founding of Alcoholic Anonymous.

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Photo courtesy of Athletic Brewing.

The Drink: Athletic Brewing Oktoberfest

First, James drank many things and huffed a few things too, but I was struck by one simple habit he had, as expressed in the book Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life by John Kaag—drinking a beer every night.

Why? Because I do, too. Only, I drink non-alcoholic beer. It’s become a ritual for me, and every night I drink at least two. October is a particularly good time for beer, not only because it’s stout weather but also because Oktoberfest beers are released.

Athletic Brewing Co. probably doesn’t need much of an introduction to this audience, but have you tried their Oktoberfest yet? Toasted grain, touch of sweet, and finishes with a restrained bitterness. Pretzel wine! Get out your lederhosen and frosty stein for this one.

The Article: A Jamesian Personscape (Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Spring/Summer, 2011)

John J. McDermott uses William James’ philosophy to navigate the turmoil of human life. His own battle with alcohol use disorder mirrors James’ “sick soul”—a self divided by pain but still searching for something to hold onto, some flicker of hope to escape the downward spiral.

My name is John. I was a sick soul. In keeping with the diagnosis of William James, I was a “sick soul”—more, I was an exemplar of his “divided self.” Or, put my way, the ongoing process of my selving was rent by a persistent splitting, a radical interior dislocation—in short, the suffusing of my person with an abominable loneliness. - John J. McDermott, from “A Jamesian Personscape”

As noted in my introduction, James isn't about sterile intellectual exercises. He’s about the blood-and-guts of survival, about finding a flicker of belief when everything’s burning down around you (been there). McDermott’s journey through addiction maps onto James’ insistence that belief is more than an abstract choice—it’s a life raft. That choice, that “Will to Believe,” isn’t just about cosmic answers; it’s about survival, about reconstructing a sometimes shattered self from the debris of life’s darkest chapters.

Ultimately, McDermott's piece feels like a gritty, philosophical fight for meaning. William James offers a way out for those on the edge: a chance to not just think, but live through the contradictions, to emerge on the other side with some semblance of wholeness. It’s not a clean process, but it’s one steeped in hard-earned spiritual and personal reconstruction, powered by James’ radical, unsentimental hope.

The Podcast: Philosophize This! Episode #084 - William James on Truth

In this episode, host Stephen West delves into William James' evolving idea of truth, somewhere between relativism and a rigid truth, capital “T.” For James, truth is something that emerges from experience and is useful for navigating life's complexities, not chasing squirrels around a tree.

The kind of Jamesian pragmatism discussed in this episode resonates with my thoughts on mindful drinking, where people reassess their relationship with alcohol based on how it genuinely serves them. Just as truth must prove its value through experience, mindful drinking involves adjusting habits to foster well-being rather than sticking to rigid rules or cultural norms.

Ultimately, the episode ties James' philosophy to everyday decision-making. By understanding truth as something that must be useful and adaptable, the listener can apply this to practices like how they drink alcohol, where personal experience guides healthier choices. West’s lighthearted style keeps the discussion engaging, making James’ pragmatic vision of truth feel immediately relevant.

The Book: Sick Souls, Healthy Minds: How William James Can Save Your Life by John Kaag

In Sick Souls, Healthy Minds, John Kaag takes William James' philosophy and shows how it can help anyone struggling to find meaning in life. Kaag explains how James, haunted by his own existential crises, developed the idea that life’s worth depends on how we engage with it, not on any predefined answers. Through James' pragmatism, we learn that belief is a tool to survive existential doubt.

Kaag makes this especially relatable by connecting James’ thoughts to modern anxieties, making a case for embracing uncertainty as a source of strength. James’ approach offers a way to manage life’s darker moments without demanding absolute certainty. Belief, like behavior, is adaptable and must prove its worth in our lives.

In a world obsessed with finding concrete meaning, Sick Souls, Healthy Minds encourages readers to focus on what works for them individually. By drawing from his own life and James’ writings, Kaag presents philosophy as a lived experience, where ideas are tested through action and the search for meaning is personal, ongoing, and evolving. This is a book about finding the courage to live, even when certainty feels out of reach.

Have a great weekend!

Don’t forget to add what you’ve been drinking, reading, and listening to below.

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Thank you to Oar Health for your important work and sponsorship of Positive Damage! Learn more about how Oar Health can help you drink less or quit here.

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