Episode 267: The Thickness of Reality
Very Bad Wizards
James on Intellectualism
- William James criticizes intellectualism for prioritizing unchanging concepts over the fluid nature of experience.
- He argues that concepts impose artificial divisions on the continuous flow of sensations.
- James believes that naming and classifying experiences distorts our understanding of reality, favoring abstract definitions over direct perception.
- This 'vicious' intellectualism, originating with Socrates and Plato, leads to a focus on essences rather than appearances.
- It equates knowing a thing's definition with grasping its true essence, a view James challenges.
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