Carl Rogers: Scientist and Mystic

Carl Ransome Rogers, one of the giants of 20th-century psychology, has been recognized for his immense contribution to the science of psychology. At the same time, millions have found his person-centered philosophy to be a deeply satisfying moral system and have been willing to place their faith in what can be seen as Rogers's metaphysics. This article examines Rogers's shift from positivist scientist to radical subjectivist and his continued ambivalence about both religion and objectivist science. It seeks to reconcile the seeming paradox in his work by suggesting that Rogers's work stands at the boundary between 19th-century positivism and 20th-century postpositive constructivism. I always liked myself far better as a pure scientist. -Carl Rogers