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Friday, December 8, 2023

 SSHM chapter 5, Truth and Consequences 

Jude Dewald

Chapter 5 of Sick Souls, Healthy Minds is the continuation of the unfolding of William James’ pragmatic sense by author John Kaag. While I may occasionally loathe the wordiness and writing style of Kaag, I can say that his understanding of James and how pragmatism came into being is vivacious. Kaag highlights early implications of this philosophy on James in the earlier sections of the book, and chooses quite importantly to use the label of pragmatism until chapter 5. But why avoid the label of the philosophy you explain? Why speak more to the individual than his thought forms?    

Kaag echoes the importance that James presented, imagining philosophy in terms of one’s own existence rather than looking at it through the personal or historical perspective it came from. While these are important to understanding how the philosophy came about, I am more inclined to believe philosophy’s use is in its application. William James definitely would have agreed, as practical philosophy was the name of his game. This idea gets under your skin, and holds you accountable. Kaag understands this function of James’ philosophy incredibly well, giving a treatise not only for mere mental understanding but for real use. Chapter 5 explains, “James warns his reader how simple, yet how deleterious, it is to divorce philosophy from the realities of life.” 

    Kaag uses this book to show the reader how James, through experimentation and

observation of afterthoughts, came about Truth. To James, Truth was like a map. It corresponds to the terrain, but is not a 1-1 perfect representation. He also paints the idea that while objective truth is possible, it is better suited to our interests to be involved with subjective truth. This does not, and I cannot stress this enough, mean that pragmatism is relativism. That is a gross misrepresentation as it does not account for the correspondence to reality that James spent his late years defending. Subjective Truth is not a creation of “facts” for one to believe, but rather one’s story about the facts of life. An important aspect of this Truth is that it is an aspect of our ideas, not something separate from them. Kaag quotes James, “Truth happens to an idea. It becomes true, is made true by events…”


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/240801911298437327/


    What can we learn from James? Humility, honesty, and reason. His truths were effective for him, but also came from a rich understanding of the human position. He advocated for the sanctity of personal freedom, respect and reverence for individuality, and attentiveness to experiential reality. What is the human condition then what we give our attention to?


    Chapter 5 of Sick Souls, Healthy Minds portrays the essence of pragmatism in its largest and smallest form, the search for truth. James made way through his life seeking this, and laid the groundwork towards experiential and personal truth. His philosophy is widely regarded as one of the very few true American philosophies, holding up a “for the people” narrative. Chapter 5 shows that James’ philosophy is so greatly interconnected with daily experience, and a widely eclectic source of personal endowment. This subjectivity is not in ignorance of objectivity, but in harmony with it. The chapter also shows that the acceptance of the consequences of this search are the foreground for its further unfoldment, inside ourselves and in our communities. It highlights James’ zest for the small answers in the big questions, and the big answers in the small ones. This source of individual experiential involvement, for James, brings about the healthy mind so as to cure the sick soul. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkDPPjhUiXg


1 comment:

  1. You don't like Kaag's style? I find it refreshing, compared to the standard, lifeless academese most of my peers commit. And if you think HE's "wordy"..

    "Why speak more to the individual than his thought forms?" What does it mean to speak to a thought form? We're all individuals, we should be addressed as such. No?

    "imagining philosophy in terms of one’s own existence rather than looking at it through the personal or historical perspective it came from"-- I'm not grasping this distinction. Kaag certainly agrees with WJ that "philosophy’s use is in its application"...

    "not a creation of “facts” for one to believe, but rather one’s story about the facts"-- precisely.

    Please embed those links, and get rid of the long URLs.

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