William James, MD: Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician Unavailable

According to Emma K. Sutton, the life and thinking of William James was defined by the question of what it means to be “fit to live.” Her biography of him, William James, MD: Philosopher, Psychologist, Physician, characterizes this in terms of his preoccupation with his own ill health, interest in medical ideas, and personal values. Sutton also argues that James has long been incorrectly portrayed as a man who recovered from the spiritual crisis of his youth and then lived a productive life. Her alternative proposal, which she describes as “an avowedly emotional one” (p. 8), maintains that James’s views on the body, mind, and soul were interwoven with his personal and psychological wrestling with his own invalidism: In other words, that his work was defined by lifelong health problems and that his suffering made living a difficult process for him. She further explains that “underlying this book is the...