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William James
William James (1842 - 1910) is considered both 'the Father of American psychology' and one of the most influential philosophers of his time. James established, along with Charles S. Peirce, the philosophical school called Pragmatism. During his career he interacted with a wide array of writers and scholars, such as Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Dewey, but he is also rememberd as one of the key figures, together with Henri Bergson and Alfred N. Whitehead, in process philosophy. Behind his well known biography, James did important work on religion, investigating the mystical experience and experimenting with drugs (chloral hydrate, amyl nitrite,
nitrous oxide, and peyote). James claimed that it was only when he was under the influence of nitrous oxide that he was able to understand Hegel. This work leads him to start the first American psychedelic movement, which was later continued by
William Burroughs.
From the archives of Harvard University, dugged out and published by professor
Adin Fassrol, it appears that William James partecipated as 'special' guest to several meetings of the
Wicht Club led by
Walter Cannon. However, it is still uncertain to what extent James influenced the extracurricular activity of this secret congregation.
Selected articles: