Abstract
The exploration begins by considering anecdotes from James’ life, including his attempts to cope with heart disease, as well as his fascination with earthquakes. These, along with considerations of the writings of James’ father and brother, highlight James’ arguably dangerous fascination with the fringes of personality and psychosomatic disease. James’ arguments about the relationship between pathology and religious genius are presented to justify the study of demonology in spite of any real or perceived dangers. Demons are defined as a “relatively personified psychological and/or spiritual force that is to some extent alien to ordinary consciousness.”
That shape am I, potentially—an internal voice of William James.
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Ruetenik, T. (2018). James Family Vastation. In: The Demons of William James. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91623-1_1
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