Julian Ochorowicz

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Life

Ochorowicz was the son of Julian and Jadwiga, "née" Sumińska.

Ochorowicz studied natural sciences at Warsaw University, graduating in 1871. In 1874 he received his doctorate from Leipzig University, having written his thesis "On the Conditions of Consciousness". After returning to Warsaw, in 1874-75 he was editor-in-chief of the popular Polish-language periodical, "Niwa". From 1881 he was assistant professor ("docent") of psychology and natural philosophy at Lwów University.

Ochorowicz subsequently spent several years in Paris, France, where from 1907 he would be co-director of the "Institut General Psychologique".

Returning to Warsaw, from 1900 Ochorowicz was president of "Kasa Literacka" (the Literary Fund). He published his pedagogical papers in "Encyklopedia Wychowawcza" (the Encyclopedia of Education).

Ochorowicz was a pioneer of empirical research in psychology, and conducted studies into occultism, Spiritualism, hypnosis and telepathy.

His most popular works included "Wstęp i pogląd ogólny na filozofię pozytywną" (An Introduction to and Overview of Positive Philosophy, 1872) and "Jak należy badać duszę?" (How Should One Study the Soul?, 1869).

Ochorowicz the poet published in "Przegląd Tygodniowy" (the Weekly Review) under the pen-name, "Julian Mohort." He wrote the poem, "Naprzód" ("Forward," 1873), regarded as the Polish Positivists' manifesto.

Friend of Prus

Julian Ochorowicz was a Warsaw University schoolmate of Bolesław Prus, who portrayed him in his 1889 novel, "The Doll", as the scientist "Julian Ochocki." Ochorowicz, after returning to Warsaw from Paris, in 1893 delivered several public lectures on ancient Egyptian knowledge. These evidently helped inspire Prus to write (1894-95) his sole historical novel, "Pharaoh". Ochorowicz provided Prus books on Egyptology that he had brought back from Paris. Also in 1893, Ochorowicz introduced Prus to the Italian Spiritualist, Eusapia Palladino, whom he had brought to Warsaw from her mediumistic tour in St. Petersburg, Russia. Prus attended a number of séances conducted by Palladino and incorporated several prominent Spiritualist-inspired scenes into "Pharaoh".

Ochorowicz hosted Palladino in Warsaw from November 1893 to January 1894. Regarding the phenomena demonstrated at Palladino's séances, he concluded against the spirit hypothesis and for a hypothesis that these phenomena were caused by a "fluidic action" and were performed at the expense of the medium's own powers and those of the other participants in the séances.

Ochorowicz later studied, as well — in 1908-09, at Wisła, Poland — the mediumship of Stanisława Tomczyk.

Spiritualism was not an unusual subject of study for noted psychologists in the latter half of the 19th century. An American psychologist who looked favorably on Spiritualism was William James.

Bibliography

* "Jak należy badać duszę? Czyli o metodzie badań psychologicznych" (How Should One Study the Soul? On the Method of Psychological Studies), 1869.
* "Miłość, zbrodnia, wiara i moralność. Kilka studiów z psychologii kryminalnej" (Love, Crime, Faith and Morality: Several Studies in the Psychology of Crime), 1870.
* "Wstęp i pogląd ogólny na filozofię pozytywną" (An Introduction to and Overview of Positive Philosophy), 1872.
* "Z dziennika psychologa" (From a Psychologist's Journal), 1876.
* "O twórczości poetyckiej ze stanowiska psychologii" (On Poetic Creativity from the Standpoint of Psychology), 1877.
* "De la Suggestion mentale", "deuxieme édition" (second edition), Paris, Doin, 1889.:Translations::* J. Ochorowicz, "Mental suggestion, by Dr. J. Ochorowicz ... with a preface by Charles Richet, translated from the French by J. Fitzgerald, M.A.", New York, Humboldt Publishing Co, 1891.:* J. Ochorowicz, "Mental Dominance", New York, Instant Improvement, Inc., 1990. (From the page facing the title page: "This book, [first] published in French by Idégaf [in 1988] , is a newly revised edition and was brought up to date by a group of psychologists.")
* "Psychologia, pedagogika, etyka. Przyczynki do usiłowań naszego odrodzenia narodowego" (Psychology, Pedagogy, Ethics: Contributions toward Our National Rebirth), 1917.

ee also

* History of philosophy in Poland
* William Crookes (regarding notables who believed in Spiritualism).

References

* "Ochorowicz, Julian Leopold," "Polski słownik biograficzny", vol. 23, pp. 499-505.
* "Encyklopedia Polski", Kraków, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996, p. 453.
* Krystyna Tokarzówna and Stanisław Fita, "Bolesław Prus,1847-1912: Kalendarz życia i twórczości" (Bolesław Prus: Calendar of Life and Works), edited by Zygmunt Szweykowski, Warsaw, Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1969, pp. 445-53 "et passim".

External links

* [http://survivalafterdeath.org/mediums/palladino.htm "Eusapia Palladino"] cites observations of Palladino's séances made by Julian Ochorowicz, who is referred to as "Julien Ochorowitz."
* [http://survivalafterdeath.org/researchers/ochorowitz.htm "Julien Ochorowitz"]