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An Afterdeath Journal
How Mortality Was No Barrier
The James brothers, as you may well know, were esteemed men of letters during their lifetimes. What you may not be aware of is that one of them continued to share his words with the world long after his death.
In Life
I encountered Henry, the younger sibling, first. His book Washington Square was on my English A-level reading list and I enjoyed it so much that I quickly followed up by reading The Turn of the Screw and The Portrait of a Lady. I marvelled at his deep psychological insight into human nature.
It came as little surprise, some years later, to discover that he was the brother of the brilliant philosopher and psychologist William James.
I’d never been much of a student of philosophy, except in the broadest terms, and although my teacher training involved copious amounts of psychology, I steered as clear of it as I could, mainly due to the unspeakably horrible experiments on animals perpetrated by many of its researchers.
Nevertheless, William James’ name would come up from time to time in my studies, and always, as I read his words, I would sense an underlying wisdom, insight, and understanding far beyond that of many of his contemporaries. To me, he always felt like the lone voice of reason and humanity in an arid…
