Who was Henry James’s older brother William James?

William James (1842–1910) was the elder brother of the novelist Henry James and a prominent American philosopher and psychologist.123

He is widely recognized as a foundational figure in his fields, serving as a leader of the philosophical movement of pragmatism and a founder of the psychological school of functionalism. Throughout his life, William navigated a complex intellectual journey that included medical training at Harvard and extensive studies in Germany, eventually overcoming personal struggles with health and depression to make revolutionary contributions to the understanding of human consciousness, free will, and the nature of reality.145

Raised in a household deeply influenced by the theology of Emanuel Swedenborg, William and his brother Henry were exposed to a cosmopolitan upbringing that involved frequent travel between the United States and Europe, which profoundly shaped their respective intellectual and creative lives.53