Linguistic analysis and psychical research 1940-1960: the case of Casimir Lewy

This paper explores a hitherto overlooked chapter in the history of analytic philosophy, namely the role that psychical research (i.e. the study of phenomena like telepathy, clairvoyance, ghosts, or communication with spirits of the dead) played in British philosophy between 1940 and 1960. This paper focuses on Casimir Lewy’s (1919–1991) engagement with psychical research and demonstrates that Lewy’s early work constitutes a move towards sustained application of the linguistic method to psychical research between 1940 and 1960. I argue that paying attention to psychical research during this period is significant for two reasons. The first is that this period represents a unique chapter in the history of the analytic tradition, namely, a philosophical preoccupation with the meaning of the language used by psychical researchers. The second is that a foundational moment in the history of analytic philosophy of religion is inseparable from its origin in psychical research.