The 1932 report titled Re-Thinking Missions challenged the traditional Protestant approach to evangelism in Asia, advocating instead for a shift toward social welfare and local institutional control. Led by the American philosopher William Ernest Hocking, this investigation into six denominations fundamentally altered the discourse regarding Western missionary roles by emphasizing deep respect for indigenous religious traditions.
Academic Formation and Philosophy
Born in 1873 in Cleveland, Hocking initially sought a career in engineering at Iowa State College before transitioning to philosophy after reading William James. He entered Harvard in 1899, studying under Josiah Royce. In 1902, he traveled to Germany, becoming the first American to study under Edmund Husserl. He earned his PhD from Harvard in 1904. Throughout his career, he sought to integrate idealism with empiricism and naturalism, famously proposing his theory of negative pragmatism.
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Hocking held faculty positions at Andover Theological Seminary, the University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University. In 1914, he returned to Harvard, eventually serving as the Alford Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy and Civil Polity. During the First World War, he served as a civil engineer at the front in France and later inspected military training courses. Between 1920 and the late 1930s, he lectured on leadership and psychology at the Naval War College.
Religious and Political Thought
His philosophical output, spanning 22 books, addressed human rights, world politics, and the nature of selfhood. He argued that liberalism required a transition toward a new individualism where every person could develop their latent powers. In 1958, he presided over the Metaphysical Society of America. Later in life, he served as a lecturer at Leiden University from 1947 to 1948 and received an honorary doctorate from the institution.
Fast facts
- Born: 1873, Cleveland
- Died: 1966, Madison
- Education: Harvard University
- Membership: American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Burial site: Mount Auburn Cemetery
- Major work: The Meaning of God in Human Experience (1912)
- Professional society: Metaphysical Society of America (President, 1958)
Questions readers ask
What was Hocking's stance on missionary work?
He advocated for reducing reliance on conversion in favor of prioritizing education, social welfare, and a respectful appreciation of local religions.
What is negative pragmatism?
It is a philosophical position Hocking proposed, asserting that what functions pragmatically might not necessarily be true, while suggesting that metaphysics must derive from experience.
Achievements
- Held posts at Harvard University and Leiden University
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