Edwin Bissell Holt (1873–1946): A Missing Portrait of a Forgotten Pioneer

Abstract:This paper explores the biography of Edwin Bissell Holt (1873—1946), an American psychologist and philosopher. Although today Holt is almost completely forgotten, he was one of the leading figures in early twentieth century American science. In my work I am going to show that Holt's impact was remarkable and long-lasting both in psychology and in philosophy. In psychology, Holt was a pioneer of behaviorism (plausibly preceding John Watson), academic psychoanalysis and so-called ecological psychology. In philosophy, he arguably influenced the late philosophy of his teacher and cordial friend, William James. Holt was also one of the founders of the New Realism, a tradition that—although short-lived—transferred to American soil many ideas of British analytic movement and paved the way for American analytic philosophy. Unfortunately, due to Holt's early withdrawal from academic life, some of his achievements were adopted by his students (e.g., by Edward Chase Tolman and James Gibson), while other fell into oblivion. By following Holt's biography, I try to give him a proper place in the history of American science and—at the same time—to offer a kind of a prolegomena to more detailed studies on his thought that are certainly needed.