Andreas Sommer In my last article on William James’ heretical science I mentioned that among the many opponents of his studies of alleged psychic phenomena were representatives of “scientific naturalism”, which I stated was “not the same as ontological materialism, of which major science ‘naturalizers’ such as Thomas Huxley and John Tyndall in Britain, and Emil du … Read more
Thanks to those of you who participated in the poll on the future design of Forbidden Histories, which has closed yesterday. Participation was a little on the meagre side with only 88 votes, but the people have spoken and it seems we’re stuck with the current design (Option 1 in the poll) for the foreseeable … Read more
When I knocked together the short movie-style teaser currently featured on the Welcome page, I had only the faintest ideas of concrete challenges involved in the production of the planned full video episodes. So with other work to deal with, it took me much longer than anticipated to shoot and edit the first full episode … Read more
Facelift no. 1: A New Look across Platforms As a loyal, nay, devout reader of Forbidden Histories you have probably noticed the recent change in design. Feeling it was high time for a new look that was easy on the eyes and consistent across all our social media platforms, I also quickly realized my despicable … Read more
Disclaimer: This event is not organized by Forbidden Histories. If you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact the organizer, Dr. Efram Sera-Shriar, at e.sera-shriar@leedstrinity.ac.uk. Science and Spiritualism, 1750-1930 The Leeds Centre for Victorian Studies is pleased to announce a two-day conference, to take place at Leeds Trinity University on 30 and 31 May … Read more
Given my own specialization in the occult underbelly of the history of modern human sciences, the heretical preoccupations of William James as the ‘founding father’ of modern American psychology are a naturally recurring theme of Forbidden Histories. Some of you might be aware of a recent book by Krister D. Knapp, William James: Psychical Research … Read more
Thony Christie (Twitter handle @rmathematicus) is a British-born historian of early modern science and mathematics currently living in Franconia, Germany. He runs the blog, The Renaissance Mathematicus, and he was the editor of Whewell’s Gazette. Supporters of science, especially those who believe that empirical science is the only purveyor of truth in the world, like … Read more
Jason Ā. Josephson-Storm (Twitter: @Ghost_Image_) is Chair & Associate Professor of Religion at Williams College. Josephson-Storm received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University in 2006 and has held visiting positions at Princeton University, École Française d’Extrême-Orient, Paris, and Ruhr Universität, Germany. He is the author of The Invention of Religion in Japan (2012, … Read more
The history of Cambridge University fundamentally challenges modern assumptions that science has disenchanted the world. As can be expected, this is also reflected in its archival and library holdings. Some of the most curious items held at Cambridge University Library are found in the collection of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), which includes old … Read more
Introductory remarks According to a traditional standard narrative, the ‘decline of magic’ in western intellectual elites since the Enlightenment was the direct and inevitable consequence of advances in science and medicine, which rendered belief in ‘occult’ principles obsolete. Probably the best currently available survey of historical studies casting considerable doubt on this popular view is … Read more