How did Charles Renouvier influence William James's ideas about free will?

The influence of Charles Renouvier on William James was a pivotal moment in the philosopher's life, serving as the catalyst for his recovery from a period of severe depression and existential crisis.

While living in a state of semi-invalidism and suffering from phobic panic, James read Renouvier’s work on free will. This reading led James to a profound personal resolution: he decided that his first act of free will would be to believe in the existence of free will itself.1

This decision was transformative, as it prompted James to abandon all forms of determinism—both the scientific determinism he had encountered during his medical and physiological training and the theological, metaphysical varieties he later rejected as a "block universe." This shift in perspective provided the momentum for his subsequent revolutionary contributions to psychology and philosophy, shaping his views on the nature of reality and the human experience.1