WILLIAM JAMES’S EARLY RADICAL EMPIRICISM: PSYCHICAL RESEARCH, RELIGION, AND THE “SPIRIT OF INNER TOLERANCE” A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Ermine L. Algaier IV July, 2015 Examining Committee Members: Lucy Bregman, Advisory Chair, Temple University, Department of Religion Terry Rey, Temple University, Department of Religion Joseph Margolis, Temple University, Department of Philosophy Eli Goldblatt, External Member, Temple University, Department of English © Copyright 2015 by Ermine L. Algaier IV All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT In December of 1896 William James (1842-1910) penned the preface to The Will to Believe & Other Essays in Philosophy, announcing his novel philosophy of radical empiricism. Nearly one hundred and twenty years later, the metaphysical themes of his mature radical empiricist writings (e.g., his 1904-05 writings posthumously published as Essays in Radical Empiricism) continue to dominate the interpretations of the secondary literature. “William James’s Early Radical Empiricism: Psychical Research, Religion, and the ‘Spirit of Inner Tolerance’” offers a revisionist reading that prioritizes the epistemic, moral, and social elements of James’s early radical empiricism in light of his concerns expressed in the 1896 preface. By focusing on a close textual analysis that aims to historically and thematically resituate James’s radical empiricism within the context of his major and minor work in the 1880s through the late 1890s, I argue for a supplemental interpretation that emphasizes James’s epistemic sensitivity to the plight of the perceived “irrational” other. This project demonstrates that not only is James’s early radical empiricism concerned with epistemological matters of fact and perspective, but also their social and moral implications. It suggests that an alternative narrative is uncovered if we attend to particular historical, philosophical, and religious themes that reveal themselves as focal points of James’s work in the 1890s, particularly in the year 1896. By historicizing his 1890s defense of the epistemic underdog I develop the narrative that James’s early radical empiricism embraces all experience and that this is illustrated by his genuine interest in the point of view of the believer, the marginalized, and the “irrational” other. iii For you, you, and especially You. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This projected originated in the classroom. During my time at Temple University I was fortunate to teach “Death and Dying” on ten separate occasions. After my initial semester, I made the decision to bring in James’s 1897 Ingersoll Lecture on Human Immortality. The next semester I paired it up with his essay “The Will to Believe.” Every semester thereafter I committed myself to carefully rereading these texts, as well as additional sources of secondary literature, in order to deepen my understanding and to develop my lectures notes. Around the third or fourth time teaching these texts together I began to get a sense of the project that lay before you. This dissertation would not have been possible without the ongoing encouragement and help of my committee. To my adviser, Lucy Bregman, I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me. To Terry Rey, I am externally grateful for his keen eyes and excellent copy-editing skills. Also, because of Terry, I will never look at research in the same way: my love of archival work has grown beyond measure. To Joseph Margolis, I am deeply indebted for his kindness, support, and for imparting to me a glimpse of the joy that can be had in a lifetime of scholarship. To Eli Goldblatt, I am grateful for your excitement and willingness to join in on the fun. Throughout the course of my education I have been very fortunate to work with an eclectic, inspiring, and profoundly gifted group of people. Eleven years out from my undergraduate education and I am still in awe of my undergraduate faculty at Youngstown State University: Linda “Tess” Tessier, Bruce Waller, Brendan Minogue, and Tom Shipka. Despite the fact that nowhere in these pages will you find direct v evidence of my many years of training in East Asian religion and philosophy, Rohit Dalvi, Bill Allen, Monte Hull, Shigenori Nagatomo, and Marcus Bingenheimer have all distinctly informed my thinking and research. Special thanks goes to James Pawelski for his invaluable insights, delightful conversations, genuine support, and willingness to help me search for the proverbial gold nugget; to Colin Koopman for his generous comments and shared excitement for all things Jamesian; to Kyle Bromhall, Tess Varner, John Girodano, Justin Bell, and all my other SAAPers for warmly welcoming me as one of their own; and to Linda Jenkins for her gracious wisdom and gentle mothering of me through every stage of my education at Temple University. My education has been shaped academically as well as existentially by many people and in many ways. In particular, I am fortunate to have shared many meals and enlightening conversations with Steven Edelman, Anne-Marie Gincley, Jina Ashline, Blaine Warner, Christy Schuetze, Karen Schnitker, Adria Godfrey, Elissa Kranzler, Kime Lawson, Patricia Kolbe, Kin Cheung, John Krummel, Adam Valerio, Amy Defibaugh, and Sean Blucker. I am deeply indebted to all the staff, librarians, and archivists that have assisted me while researching this project. In particular, I would like to thank Fred Rowland as well as the members of Paley Library’s intra- and inter-library loan offices, the staff members at Houghton library, Harvard University Archives, Brancroft library, the Rockefeller Archive Center, and the American Society for Psychical Research. I would also like to acknowledge the generous financial support of The Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy, the William James Society, and Temple vi University. On account of the various grants, scholarships, and prizes that I received, I have been able to present drafts of this project at a number of different venues and to meet an exceptional community of like-minded scholars. I could not have done this without the enduring love and support of my family, closest friends, and partner. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way that words can capture the depth of my gratitude toward Ed and Beth for putting up with the fact that they spent an uncanny amount of time listening to me talk about James: y’all will just have to learn to deal with the fact that you can never get that time back. Most importantly, I shall save myself the embarrassment of fumbling through words with the hope of articulating the depth of my love and respect for Hannah and her willingness to be my partner on this absurd journey; with all of my being, I thank you. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ xii Orientation: Textual, Contextual, and Methodological Influences .......................... xviii Two Methodological Caveats .................................................................................. xxiv A Note on Primary Texts ......................................................................................... xxvi A Selective Overview of Relevant Literature ........................................................ xxviii Outline of Chapters ................................................................................................ xxxiii CHAPTER 1. EARLY RADICAL EMPIRICISM AND THE “SPIRIT OF INNER TOLERANCE:” A “DEFINITE PHILOSOPHICAL ATTITUDE” .............................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 The 1896 Preface of The Will to Believe .......................................................................5 A Manifest Reading of the Preface ................................................................................9 The Methodological Commitment ...........................................................................9 The Limits of Reason and the Perspectival Critique .............................................11 Approaching the Attitude of the 1896 Preface ............................................................15 “A Tolerably Definite Philosophical Attitude” ......................................................18 James’s Re-defining of Philosophy .......................................................................25 Early Radical Empiricism: a Latent Image ..................................................................28 The “Spirit of Inner Tolerance” .............................................................................29 Fringe Sensitivity, the Epistemic Underdog, and Rationalizing the Irrational .................................................................................................................34 Concluding Remarks ....................................................................................................42