What Do You Think About William James’ Concepts of Consciousness?

[elowendfMember]

Hey everyone,

I have been diving into William James’ work lately his thoughts on consciousness & I want to hear your perspectives. His idea of the “stream of consciousness” really fascinates me—how our thoughts flow continuously rather than appearing as isolated chunks. It makes so much sense when you think about how we experience life.

I am curious, do you think James’ approach still holds up today with modern neuroscience and psychology evolving so much? Some argue that his pragmatic approach to truth was ahead of its time, while others feel it is too subjective. What do you guys think?

Also, how do you interpret his idea of “radical empiricism”? Do you find it useful in understanding experience or does it seem too philosophical to apply practically?

Thank you.:)
Elovendfsplunk

[Gary JaronModerator]

Hello Elowendf,
For me, James’s idea of the Stream of Consciousness is correct. Our conscious and unconscious minds are continually going 24/7, an uninterrupted flow of experience. This matches up with modern neuroscience, which agrees that the brain/mind/body system is continuously operating and dealing with input. For me, his idea of Pure Experience is also correct in that we first experience the world non-verbally and intimately connected to the world around us, especially if you consider Quantum field theories that hold that we are immersed in fields of energy.
Yes, I agree with Radical Empiricism that everything we know, feel, and learn can be traced back to our experience of the world around us, including hearing talks and reading books.

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