Isaac Woodbridge Riley (May 20, 1869 – September 2, 1933)[1] was an American academic scholar who worked in and across the areas of philosophy, religion, and psychology.
His published work often combined two of these disciplines in considering the historical development of a social movement or entity (such as a church), particularly examining the influence of the founders' psychological character.
[5] He is also known for his book The Faith, the Falsity and the Failure of Christian Science (1925), co-authored with physician Charles Edward Humiston and lawyer Frederick William Peabody.
The book argues that Christian Science has no scientific legitimacy, it also records many cases of death which he claims were caused by its practitioners due to lack of medical treatment.
[6] Riley argued that Mary Baker Eddy plagiarized her ideas from Franz Mesmer, Phineas Quimby and the Shakers.