Sciousness
Encyclopedia
Sciousness, a term coined by William James
in The Principles of Psychology, refers to consciousness separate from consciousness of self. James wrote:
When James first introduced "sciousness" he held back from proposing it as a possible prime reality in The Principles of Psychology, warning that it "traverse[s] common sense." He allowed that he might return to a consideration of sciousness at the conclusion of the book, where he would "indulge in some metaphysical reflections," but it was not until two years later in his conclusion to the abridged edition of The Principles that he added:
Then thirteen years later, writing solely as a philosopher, James returned to his "parenthetical digression" of sciousness that "contradict[ed] the fundamental assumption of every philosophic school." James had founded a new school of philosophy, called "radical empiricism
," and nondual sciousness was its starting-point. He even wrote a note to himself to "apologize for my dualistic language, in the Principles." James did not continue to use the word "sciousness" in later essays on radical empiricism, but the concept is clearly there as the "plain, unqualified ... existence" he comes to call "pure experience," in which there is "no self-splitting ... into consciousness and what the consciousness is of."
Pure experience sciousness was mostly attacked when first presented. With some notable exceptions, such as Bergson, Dewey
, and Whitehead
, Western philosophers rejected James' view. That rejection continues to this day.
One of the first to appreciate James's concept was the Swiss psychologist, Theodore Flournoy
, a mentor of Jung
. In a book about James Flournoy wrote:
The 20th century philosopher Kitaro Nishida—introduced to James by D.T. Suzuki—compared James's concept of sciousness and his phrase "pure experience" to tathata
or suchness.
Yet James scholars today still do not agree on how receptive James himself remained to sciousness. As psychologist Benny Shanon
observed recently:
William James
William James was a pioneering American psychologist and philosopher who was trained as a physician. He wrote influential books on the young science of psychology, educational psychology, psychology of religious experience and mysticism, and on the philosophy of pragmatism...
in The Principles of Psychology, refers to consciousness separate from consciousness of self. James wrote:
When James first introduced "sciousness" he held back from proposing it as a possible prime reality in The Principles of Psychology, warning that it "traverse[s] common sense." He allowed that he might return to a consideration of sciousness at the conclusion of the book, where he would "indulge in some metaphysical reflections," but it was not until two years later in his conclusion to the abridged edition of The Principles that he added:
Then thirteen years later, writing solely as a philosopher, James returned to his "parenthetical digression" of sciousness that "contradict[ed] the fundamental assumption of every philosophic school." James had founded a new school of philosophy, called "radical empiricism
Radical empiricism
Radical empiricism is a pragmatist doctrine put forth by William James. It asserts that experience includes both particulars and relations between those particulars, and that therefore both deserve a place in our explanations...
," and nondual sciousness was its starting-point. He even wrote a note to himself to "apologize for my dualistic language, in the Principles." James did not continue to use the word "sciousness" in later essays on radical empiricism, but the concept is clearly there as the "plain, unqualified ... existence" he comes to call "pure experience," in which there is "no self-splitting ... into consciousness and what the consciousness is of."
Pure experience sciousness was mostly attacked when first presented. With some notable exceptions, such as Bergson, Dewey
Dewey
-Places:*Dewey, Arizona*Dewey, Illinois*Dewey, Oklahoma*Dewey, Utah*Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts*Dewey, Wisconsin , multiple places*Dewey Beach, Delaware*Dewey County, Oklahoma*Dewey County, South Dakota*Dewey Marsh, Wisconsin...
, and Whitehead
Whitehead
-With common given names on further disambiguation pages:*Alan Whitehead *George Whitehead *Henry Whitehead *James Whitehead *John Whitehead...
, Western philosophers rejected James' view. That rejection continues to this day.
One of the first to appreciate James's concept was the Swiss psychologist, Theodore Flournoy
Théodore Flournoy
Théodore Flournoy was a professor of psychology at the University of Geneva and author of books on spiritism and psychic phenomena...
, a mentor of Jung
Jung
Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology.Jung may also refer to:* Jung * JUNG, Java Universal Network/Graph Framework-See also:...
. In a book about James Flournoy wrote:
The 20th century philosopher Kitaro Nishida—introduced to James by D.T. Suzuki—compared James's concept of sciousness and his phrase "pure experience" to tathata
Tathata
Tathata is variously translated as "thusness" or "suchness". It is a central concept in Buddhism, and is of particular significance in Zen Buddhism...
or suchness.
Yet James scholars today still do not agree on how receptive James himself remained to sciousness. As psychologist Benny Shanon
Benny Shanon
Benny Shanon is a professor of Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and holds the Mandel Chair in Cognitive Psychology and Education....
observed recently: