Otium and The Moral Philosopher – William James

4 July 2025 Episode 6.03 – Otium and The Moral Philosopher – William James Le Guin leans on an essay by William James, but what does that have to do with all our garden talk? It’s about our blind spots and our privilege. Here’s James’s argument and how it sets up a pragmatic popular ethic that may be worrisome. William James: “The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life” – https://archive.org/details/jstor-2375309/page/n1/mode/2up New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we’re all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/ Listener Survey Available!  Please let me know what you thought of Season 5, and get some free stuff, too! https://forms.gle/rZEaGFhniuv78BwF7 Reading Ahead, Journey 6: Ursula K. Le Guin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”: https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/ CHAPTERS 00:00     The Cranky Professor 05:25     Opening Theme 05:59     Oppositions to Work 12:51     Otium as Privilege 23:22     Hideous Bargains: William James 29:40     Back to Our Garden 32:37     Closing Theme and Credits === Transcript:  https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/transcript-6-00-trailer Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8  === Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas. Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses. Website:  https://waywordsstudio.com Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/ Instagram: @WaywordsStudio Facebook: Waywords.Studio YouTube: Waywords Studio LinkedIn: Waywords-Studio CREDITS: Original music by Randon Myles (https://randonmyles.com/) Chapter headings by Natalie Harrison and Sarah Skaleski USING THIS WORK: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. It is open to be used and adapted for all not-for-profit uses with proper attribution. MLA CITATION: Chisnell, Steve. “Otium and The Moral Philosopher – William James,” Literary Nomads. Waywords Studio, 4 July 2025, https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/.