Question: By believing in free will, was James cured of his depression?

-- Daniel J. Denis (dand@yorku.ca), March 13, 2001

Answers

Or, after the lifting of his depression, was James enabled to believe in free will again? :-)

-- Christopher Green (christo@yorku.ca), March 13, 2001.

From my reading of James on his "recovery", it was certainly through the decision to believe in free will that James was able to move beyond, or overcome, his depression. I would refer to it not so much as a "cure" but as a decision to give emphasis to something other than inaction. It's tricky to place the belief and the action in temporal sequence...as it has been said, in acting we come to know more fully what it is that we believe. Stephen Rowe's discussion of James in "The Vision of James" is a succinct and well-written piece that focuses almost entirely on this aspect of James's experience and how it influence James's thought.

-- Mirisse Foroughe (mirisse@yorku.ca), March 14, 2001.

No. A few considerations regarding my response -- First, test the explanation in the manner that James would have: introspection. Personally I can't introspectively imagine how an argument with myself over my free-will or my determined thoughts and behaviors would so consume my attention as to cause a prolonged depression. Secondly, in true pragmatic spirit, consider the practical effects of the belief to determine the truth of belief as an explanation for James's case. In a sense, the free will explanation is 'nonsense'; perhaps it should be operationally defined. If it is operationally defined or its practical consequences discerned, it would at least include the free will to act in a particular manner (in James's case, as a "man" first, and also as a "frontiersman"). Third, the free will explanation neglects many newer and more inclusive explanations of James (cf. Cushing Strout on James's voluminous masturbation).

-- matt barnes (mvbarnes@yorku.ca), March 15, 2001.

First: I wish people would give citations along with references: Stephen Rowe's discussion of James in "The Vision of JamesCushing Strout on James's voluminous masturbation). It would make following up on these thoughts easier. Second: It seems to me that "By believing in free will, was James cured of his depression?" is the headline. The question I would ask is what kind of story we want to tell. What did James mean by depression? What do we mean? At last count I was able to identify 57 different narratives that people I know label "depression." The same questions might be applied to "free will." Ultimately the question for me is what suitably complex narrative would James, or Freud, you and I find a satisfying response to the question "By believing…? And why do we find that narrative satisfying?

-- Ed Brown (edwardmbrown1@home.com), March 16, 2001.

If belief in free will is, in effect, a belief in personal control (or self-efficacy, flexible optimism, or some other synonym for agency), then it is plausible that James' mood was lifted (though 'cured' is a stretch). Elevated mood may be followed by elevated levels of behavioral activity (which may be reinforced), thus sustaining the elevated mood. More economical, in any event, than the frequent trans-Atlantic sojourns!

-- Rob Hoff (robhoff@mercyhurst.edu), March 16, 2001.