Troward was a divisional Judge in Punjab in British-administered India. His avocation was the study of comparative religion.
After his retirement from the judiciary in 1896, Troward set out to apply logic and a judicial weighing of evidence in the study of matters of cause and effect.[1] The philosopher William James characterized Troward’s Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science as "far and away the ablest statement of philosophy I have met, beautiful in its sustained clearness of thought and style, a really classic statement."[2]
According to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) archivist Nell Wing, early AA members were strongly encouraged to read Thomas Troward's Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science.[3] In the opening of the 2006 film The Secret, introductory remarks credit Troward's philosophy with inspiring the movie and its production.[4]
Geneviève Behrend studied with Troward from 1912 until 1914; Behrend was the only personal student he had throughout his life.[5][6][7]
Bob Proctor credited Troward's works on a number of occasions, and cited The Creative Process in the Individual as the most important in developing the persistence of an individual.[8]