The Role of Biography in Intellectual History

Abstract

B iography as a genre, though immensely popular in the public arena, finds little favor in the academy. For some, it assumes that intellectual or cultural accomplishments have sprung from the mind of an isolated genius, and few historians will admit to succumbing to a “great man” theory of history. In some intellectual quarters, however, a contrary attitude reigns: some historians explore scientific works by placing them in sublime isolation from their personal and cultural surroundings. These historians commit the “great books” fallacy, namely, that the work of a mastermind speaks for itself; no personal context is needed for its peculiar features to ring forth. This latter attitude was brought home to me several years ago, when I was trying to come to terms with William James. I had occasion to read a scholar who had written on James. He cautioned: “To provide a proper perspective for the study of James . . . attention must be diverted from his life, however interesting, to his published philosophy.” I wondered what kind of perspective could be gained by neglecting William James the individual. James himself, I thought, would have utterly rejected that admonition. In the Varieties of Religious Experience,