Radical empiricism

Radical empiricism is a theory of philosophy and psychology put forth by philosopher William James, mainly in his writings from 1904 until he died in 1910. This theory expanded on traditional views of empiricism, or the belief that true knowledge can only be derived through the senses. James believed that traditional empiricism was far too limited and focused on what was being experienced rather than the experience itself, which James posited was equally important. Radical empiricists believe reality is derived from the full breadth of experience, including sense data and potentially countless relations between people, objects, and experiences. Some of James’s most influential writings were published posthumously in 1912 as Essays in Radical Empiricism. They share many concepts with neutral monism.

Brief History

William James was an American psychologist and philosopher whose theories extended across several fields of study. He was born in New York City in 1842, and educated in the United States and Europe. Following stints at Harvard, James participated in an Amazon expedition. However, his health began to deteriorate, and he experienced smallpox, eye problems, and severe depression. James proceeded with his education and travel and accepted several teaching assignments.

While exploring theories of psychology and philosophy, he began publishing on various related topics in the 1870s. In the following decades, James split his time between the United States and Europe working with many prestigious scientists and institutions and publishing works concerning rationality, determinism, introspection, ethics, and logic. By the turn of the century, James’s lectures and writing were even more varied, dealing with subjects such as immortality, religion, and even the meaning of life.

In the last decade of his life, James wrote about some of his most influential and long-lasting theories, including radical empiricism. Starting in 1904, he published a variety of articles within the realm of that subject, including “A World of Pure Experience” (1904), “How Two Minds Can Know the Same Thing” (1905), “Does ‘Consciousness’ Exist?” (1904), “Is Radical Empiricism Solipsistic?” (1905), and “The Place of Affectional Facts in a World of Pure Experience” (1905).

During this study, James died of heart failure in New Hampshire in 1910. Several published and unpublished articles relating to the studies of his later years were posthumously published in 1912 as Essays in Radical Empiricism. This and his other works introduced many new ideas to psychology and philosophy and influenced generations of new thinkers.

Overview

Late in his life, William James focused on questions of reality, such as “What truly exists?” and “What can be truly known?” His research culminated in his influential theory of radical empiricism, on which he wrote extensively between 1904 and 1910. Radical empiricism is based on the much older theory of empiricism, which holds that sensory experience is the main, and perhaps the only, means of gaining true knowledge.

Empiricists believed that only what could be seen, touched, heard, tasted, or smelled could be trusted to truly exist and be meaningful. They shunned philosophies that promoted ideas or beliefs as valid sources of knowledge. Some empiricists have set out that humans are born without any pre-existing knowledge, and are essentially “blank slates” that must gather knowledge through a life of development using the senses.

Empirical philosophies became extremely influential and even promoted the growth of the modern scientific process. However, some theorists came to feel that they were too limiting. James was one of the main empiricists who sought to redefine the theory. He believed traditional empiricism placed too great an emphasis on physical objects themselves—the “stuff” that people can see, touch, hear, taste, or smell—and overlooked other equally important aspects of experience.

James felt that the phenomenon of experience that builds true knowledge is a complex and multifaceted process that creates much more valid information than mere observations or descriptions of physical objects. In particular, James focused on the importance of the relations between things. When humans gather knowledge with their senses, they observe or create relations that help create meaning.

These relations contribute to the experience itself and the knowledge gained through the experience. They may include people’s values, intentions, or the meaning they derive from what they are experiencing. A basic demonstration might involve an apple. Experiencing an apple is not limited to observing its size, shape, or color. Rather, the full experience might involve touching and tasting it, deciding whether its flavor is appealing, mentally comparing it to other foods, or connecting to past experiences related to apples.

James’s expanded view of experience held that experience went far beyond a simple two-part equation of mind and matter, or subject and object. “Pure” experience included an almost limitless variety of relations. Under this theory, philosophers and psychologists would have to adopt a broad approach to studying humans and their experiences, considering far more factors than traditional empiricists.

Radical empiricism, as pioneered by James, is closely related to the theory of neutral monism. This holds that reality is a single substance extending beyond the exclusive study of the mental or physical worlds. Although the exact nature of that reality is undetermined, it intertwines functions of the body and mind and includes all types of relations between objects and experiences.

Bibliography

Crosby, Donald A. The Philosophy of William James: Radical Empiricism and Radical Materialism. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2013.

Firth, Roderick, and John Troyer. In Defense of Radical Empiricism: Essays and Lectures. Rowman & Littlefield, 1998.

Goodman, Russell. “William James.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 3 Nov. 2021, plato.stanford.edu/entries/james. Accessed 20 May 2024.

James, William. William James, Essays in Radical Empiricism: A Critical Edition. Lexington Books, 2022.

Lapoujade, David and Thomas Lamarre. William James: Empiricism and Pragmatism. Duke University Press, 2019.

Stuhr, John J. No Professor’s Lectures Can Save Us: William James’s Pragmatism, Radical Empiricism, and Pluralism. Oxford University Press, 2023.

“William James’s Radical Empiricist Philosophic Attitude.” University of Warwick, 2017, warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/dcs/research/em/wj‗re‗em/wjquotes. Accessed 20 May 2024.