Emil Carl Kunibert Wilm (1877 – January 31, 1932) was an American philosopher. His published scholarship, often written for a popular audience, was mainly in the history of philosophy and psychology.

Wilm in a photograph published on the cover of The Problem of Religion (1912).
Wilm in the cover photograph of The Problem of Religion (1912).

Early life and education

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Wilm was born in 1877 in Margonin, then part of Prussia and now in Poland.[1] He moved to the United States in 1890,[2] at age 13.[1] He received a bachelor of arts from Southwestern University in 1902, a master of arts from Vanderbilt University in 1903, and a PhD from Cornell University in 1905.[3]

Academic career

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From 1905 to 1911, Wilm was a professor of philosophy at Washburn College; from 1911 to 1912 he was an assistant and docent in philosophy at Harvard University and Radcliffe College; and from 1912 to 1914 he was a professor of philosophy and education at Wells College.[3] In 1912, while working as an assistant professor at Harvard, Wilm gave a lecture series on Henri Bergson.[4][5] In the 1914–15 academic year, he was a lecturer at Bryn Mawr College.[3]

Wilm taught philosophy as the Borden P. Bowne Chair at Boston University from 1915 to 1926,[6] when he moved to Colorado College.[7] As of his death, he taught philosophy and psychology at Stanford University and lectured at the College of the Pacific.[8]

Wilm died on January 31, 1932, in California.[8]

Writing

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Wilm's The Philosophy of Schiller in Its Historical Relations (1912), examined the thought of German philosopher Friedrich Schiller. The book considers the historical development of Schiller's thought and argues that it was the product of numerous, conflicting tendencies.[9] In particular, it discusses German idealism and the influence of Immanuel Kant on Schiller.[10] W. D. Zinnecker, in a review for The Philosophical Review, called The Philosophy of Schiller "an appreciative and fairly comprehensive study of Schiller's philosophical thinking".[11]

The Problem of Religion, also published in 1912, is a general survey of the connections between philosophy and religion, covering topics such as the problem of evil.[12] A reviewer for The Philosophical Review was unimpressed with Wilm's efforts in the book: "Professor Wilm's book can scarcely be regarded as a contribution or even as a summary of the work at present being done in the field of religious inquiry, yet it represents perhaps the most widespread of religious attitudes."[13] Henri Bergson: A Study in Radical Evolution (1914) is a breezy study of Henri Bergson intended for a popular audience, with particular emphasis on Bergson's religious thought (of which Wilm approved) and metaphysics (of which he did not).[14]

The Theories of Instinct (1925) is a wide-ranging monograph that synthesizes thinking on instinct from the pre-Socratics, to Descartes, to Darwin.[15] It devotes particular attention to the mind–body problem.[16]

Publications

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Monographs

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  • The Philosophy of Schiller in Its Historical Relations. Boston: John W. Luce and Company. 1912.[9][10][11]
  • The Problem of Religion. Boston; New York: The Pilgrim Press. 1912. ISBN 978-0-7905-9764-5. OCLC 1050789078.[12][13][17]
  • Henri Bergson: A Study in Radical Evolution. New York: Sturgis & Walton. 1914. OCLC 1046041295.[14]
  • Klemm, Otto (1914). A History of Psychology. Translated by Wilm, Emil Carl; Pintner, Rudolf. New York; Chicago: Charles Scribner's Sons. OCLC 1046518955.
  • Religion and the School. New York; Cincinnati: Abingdon Press. 1918. OCLC 1052547937.
  • The Theories of Instinct: A Study in the History of Psychology. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. 1925. OCLC 881360737.[15][16][18]

Articles and chapters

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Prof Emil C. Wilm Joins B. U. Faculty". The Boston Globe. August 24, 1915. p. 10. ProQuest 502782386.
  2. ^ "Honor Noted Scholar with Varsity Degree". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 21, 1914. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c Annual Report of the President of Bryn Mawr College, 1911–12. Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Co. 1912. p. 74.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Crawford, Robert (April 7, 2015). Young Eliot: From St. Louis to The Waste Land. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 177. ISBN 978-1-4299-5176-0.
  5. ^ "The Philosophy of Henri Bergson". The Harvard Crimson. May 16, 1912. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. ^ Sou'wester Yearbook. Southwestern University. 1916. p. 35.
  7. ^ "Miss Wilm's Death Called Accidental". The Boston Globe. October 2, 1935. p. 19. ProQuest 763062520.
  8. ^ a b "Prof. Emil Carl Wilm". The New York Times. February 1, 1932. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Loewenberg, J. (July 18, 1912). "The Philosophy of Schiller". The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods. 9 (15): 415. doi:10.2307/2012647. JSTOR 2012647.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  10. ^ a b Kip, H. Z. (December 1912). "The Philosophy of Schiller". Modern Language Notes. 27 (8): 257. doi:10.2307/2916749. JSTOR 2916749.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  11. ^ a b Zinnecker, W. D. (November 1912). "The Philosophy of Schiller in its Historical Relations". The Philosophical Review. 21 (6): 713. doi:10.2307/2178076. hdl:2027/coo1.ark:/13960/t8kd2gb2d. JSTOR 2178076.
  12. ^ a b Macintosh, Douglas C. (1913). "Contemporary Philosophy and the Problem of Religion". The American Journal of Theology. 17 (2): 310–312. ISSN 1550-3283. JSTOR 3154626.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  13. ^ a b Jordan, E. (September 1914). "The Problem of Religion". The Philosophical Review. 23 (5): 573. doi:10.2307/2178595. JSTOR 2178595.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  14. ^ a b Mitchell, Arthur (August 5, 1915). "Henri Bergson: A Study in Radical Evolution". The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods. 12 (16): 443. doi:10.2307/2013577. JSTOR 2013577.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  15. ^ a b Eldridge, Seba (May 1927). "The Theories of Instinct". The Philosophical Review. 36 (3): 262. doi:10.2307/2179341. JSTOR 2179341.
  16. ^ a b Drever, James (April 1926). "Review of The Theories of Instinct". Philosophy. 1 (2): 258–259. doi:10.1017/S0031819100021409. ISSN 0031-8191. S2CID 170738858.
  17. ^ Hocking, William Ernest (December 18, 1913). "The Problem of Religion". The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods. 10 (26): 719. doi:10.2307/2012941. JSTOR 2012941.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  18. ^ Bernard, L. L. (September 1926). "Review of The Theories of Instinct". Social Forces. 5 (1): 164–165. doi:10.1093/sf/5.1.164. ISSN 0037-7732.