James H. Hyslop

James Hervey Hyslop ( born August 18, 1854 in Xenia, Ohio, United States, † June 17, 1920 in Montclair, New Jersey, United States ) was an American philosopher and parapsychologist.

Life and work

Hyslop attended the College of Wooster, this he concluded in 1877 with a Bachelor of Arts. 1882 to 1884 he studied at the University of Leipzig, then at Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated in 1877 Doctor of Philosophy. From 1889 to 1902 he was a professor of ethics and logic at Columbia University.

He was interested in paranormal phenomena and sought in this direction connections to science. As a member of the American Society for Psychical Research ( ASPR ), he organized after the death of Richard Hodgson, on 20 December 1905, this new and led the ASPR continue as an independent organization. Until his death in 1920 he was president of the ASPR. He founded the American Institute for Scientific Research.

Hyslop was present at the September 7, 1875 at a lecture by George Henry Felt at the home of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. In the following discussion, the first time the thought came to establishing the Theosophical Society (TG ). The next day, September 8, 1875 he was a signatory to the Memorandum for the TG. About eventual membership in the TG, however, is not known.

Works (selection)

• Contact with the otherworld. The Century co., New York 1920
• Democracy; a study of government. C. Scribner 's sons, New York 1899
• Enigmas of psychical research. G. P. Putnam 's sons, London 1906
• Problems of soul-searching. Hoffmann, Stuttgart 1909
• Science and a future life. G. P. Putnam 's sons, London 1906