James Sully

An Essay on Laughter. James Sully

James Sully (3 March 1842 - 1 November 1923) was an English psychologist. He was born at Bridgwater, Somerset the son of J. W. Sully, a liberal Baptist merchant and ship-owner. He was educated at the Independent College, Taunton, Regent's Park College, University of Göttingen, where he studied under Lotze, and at Humboldt University, Berlin where he studied under DuBois-Reymond and Helmholtz. Sully was originally destined for the nonconformist ministry and in 1869 became classical tutor at the Baptist College, Pontypool. In 1871, however, he adopted a literary and philosophic career. Between 1892 and 1903, he was Grote Professor of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic at University College London, where he was succeeded by Carveth Read.