ABSTRACT
Repeatedly scholars have called attention to the importance of James’s psychical research, and yet this aspect of his life and work continues to be marginalized, rendered nearly invisible, and considered irrelevant and unphilosophical by the mainstream philosophical community.
Whether or not a scholar believes in psychic phenomena is entirely beside the point. James did, and that alone is warrant enough to carefully examine the nature, range, and scope of his engagement with psychical research. The most commonly cited characterization about James’s psychical research derives from the opening lines of Ralph Barton Perry’s Pulitzer Prize–winning 1935 biography, which claims that James’s interest in psychical research was key to his thought. The problem, however, is that many scholars are entirely unaware of this aspect of James’s life or simply do not appreciate just how central and typical psychical research is to understanding James. To remedy this issue, the chapter focuses on four main points of entry: professional associations, writings, correspondence, and personal library. Each section provides an overview of content, makes suggestions for navigating this controversial and largely misunderstand aspect of James life and work, and encourages readers to join a small but growing body of scholarship that deeply reconsiders the relationship between James’s psychical research and his philosophy.
