The Stream of Consciousness - Jocelyn Bullock H01

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN PHILOSOPHY

Aristotle

Philosophical conversations surrounding consciousness have been in circulation for millennia, with scholars citing Aristotle as one of the first to begin to delve into the nebulous concept. He described consciousness as “perceiving that we perceive.” Though this thought truly only scratched the surface of consciousness, the idea would eventually lead to more serious exploration into the subject. As time progressed, ideas on consciousness matured, and philosophers like Descartes and Locke developed new theories on consciousness.

Rene Descartes

    Descartes popularized the phrase “Cogito Ergo Sum” translated as “I think, therefore I am,” which hearkens back to the words said by Aristotle so many centuries ago. However, Descartes’ interpretation of the conscious mind adds a new element onto the idea—it is not enough to say that consciousness is the capacity to perceive our own perception, but anything that does not have this capacity cannot perceive its own existence and therefore cannot be considered a truly aware, conscious being.

Locke then furthered the discussion by bringing consciousness into the same sphere as the “self.” In the words of Locke:

“…consciousness always accompanies thinking, and ‘tis that, that makes every one to be, what he calls self.”

John Locke

This assertion brings consciousness closer to the modern consideration of the subject, in that it interweaves our ability to think with our ability to be. However, Locke also created the theory of “simple ideas,” that attributes our core beliefs and thought processes to the experiences that we have. Once these thoughts are established, Locke believed them to be unchanging even in the face of new experiences (Kaag, 101). In this sense, Locke theorized consciousness to be stationary and largely concrete concept that attributes our core beliefs and thought processes to the experiences that we have. Once these thoughts are established, Locke believed them to be unchanging even in the face of new experiences (Kaag, 101). In this sense, Locke theorized consciousness to be stationary and largely concrete.

    Locke’s definition of consciousness served as the basis for research done on consciousness for centuries after his work was established. Even as recently as 2020, philosophers are still puzzling over a definitive answer as to what consciousness is, demonstrated in this video. However, in the late 1800s, one man in particular delved into the concept and revolutionized the way we think about consciousness. That man was William James.

WHO WAS WILLIAM JAMES?

William James

 Williams James, regarded as the "Father of American Psychology," is a deeply influential figure in the fields of psychology and philosophy. Born in 1842 with vast opportunities for his education, James pivoted multiple times in his interests before finding a passion for studying the mind and how we think. James became deeply interested in the “aspects of the human condition that he couldn’t fully understand or describe,” (Kaag, 95) and as a result, spent much of his effort theorizing on topics that had questions with no established concrete answers. One such topic was consciousness.

Sick Souls, Healthy Minds
by John Kaag

    As discussed in Chapter 4 of Sick Souls, Healthy Minds, William James became utterly fixated on consciousness following the back-to-back deaths of his father and his son. He hoped that by studying the mind and human ability to understand life itself, he would be able to find reprieve from his grief within himself. From there, James threw himself into writing

The Principles of Psychology 

by William James

The Principles of Psychology, a book which studied the “neurological basis of habit formation and human volition” (Kaag, 94). Through digging deep into the factors of human action and the development of human will, James found that objectively attempting to dissect the mind overlooks the inner consciousness we are truly trying to capture. At the same time, James also found that by subjectively studying what James dubbed the “mind from within,” we destroy the organic human experience that makes us who we are. There is no way to fully study, nor any way to wholly sum up human consciousness.

Nevertheless, in what seems like a lack of conclusion, James actually managed to assert that consciousness is three things: personal, continuous, and changing. Because James observed a continual flow of conscious thought that was unique to each person, he developed the concept of “the stream of consciousness.”

WHAT IS “THE STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS”?

          To speak to James’ first descriptor of consciousness, each thought we hold is ours, and nobody will ever be able to think in the exact same way that we do. Remnants of Descartes and Locke come through in this idea, as our thought processes make up such a large part of who we are as individuals. In fact, John Kaag, author of Sick Souls, Healthy Minds, furthers this idea by saying:

          “Once your thoughts cease to be, well, so do you.”

Our “self” is tightly wrapped in our unique streams of consciousness, and one cannot exist without the other.

          The continuous and changing aspects of the stream of consciousness somewhat go hand in hand. Our minds are constantly in motion, and attempting to grab at singular thoughts is often futile—we’re onto the next one before we can fully digest the first. There is a steady flow from thought to thought without concrete stops and starts between ideas. Even when our minds are calmer, we still have the same amount of thought, we may just stay within one topic and fledge it out fully in our heads. James compares this to a bird’s life. The bird is generally in motion, quickly flitting from one thing to the next. Even when the bird perches, there is still much motion in its heartbeat, and its eyes as it surveys its surroundings, this motion is just happening in a single location.

WHY IS THIS CONCEPT STILL RELEVANT TO MODERN DAY?

          In present day, we often hear the term “stream of consciousness” thrown around with a somewhat negative connotation. It is equated to rambling, speaking without a sense of direction, and deeming one’s thoughts as needing some kind of disclaimer before they can be said aloud (“Oh, don’t mind me, this is just my stream of consciousness talking”). Alternatively, stream of conscious is also used as a writing style, and this, too, has a unfavorable connotation. Readers opposed to this writing style find that it can be disorganized and lacking structure, as the conventions so commonly used in writing are abandoned to attempt to capture the flow of human thought.

          Because of the firmly engrained association between the negative and the phrase “stream of consciousness,” we tend to find issue with the characteristics that make the “stream” so valuable for our lives today. James argues that allowing ourselves to live by the “stream” makes life so much more vivid and fulfilling. It is through “going with the flow” that we are able to live fully.

          Acknowledging the ever-changing nature of our mental state helps us not only better cope with external change, but also learn to appreciate the beauty of it. To quote John Kaag:

          “Any state of affairs, or more accurately, state of mind, is temporary.”

With this in mind, this means that even on our worst days, there will always be the potential for things to get better. Our devastation over a loss can become comfort as we bond more intensely with those still with us; our rage over an injustice can become gratification if action is taken to right the wrong; and our anxiety over a difficult task can become relieved joy when we complete it successfully. Because everything is temporary, the possibilities for a better headspace are endless, and the same applies for the world around us. The fluidity of life allows us to hope.

          Additionally, being aware of this fluidity helps us to be more aware of the changing world, even when change is not overly apparent. Knowing that everything changes allows us to be more in tune with happenings around us. We become less self-absorbed, and we gain the ability to connect more deeply with others, with nature, and the seemingly minute things that hold so much hidden beauty. The grass might be greener on our own side of the fence, if only we would take the time to really look at it and see how it grows.

LEARN TO "GO WITH THE FLOW"

    In closing, embracing our “streams of consciousness” is something that all people should try to do in their lives. We live in a society that discourages thought patterns that deviate from the norm, especially thought patterns that do not produce tangible (read: profitable) products. However, like how James found his escape in exploring the conscious mind, we, too, can find peace, joy, appreciation, and insight by thinking deeply and learning more about our own conscious minds.