Experiential Realism

[Philip Thrift]

A Defense of Experiential Realism: The Need to take Phenomenological Reality on its own Terms in the Study of the Mind

Stan B. Klein

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

University of California at Santa Barbara

https://philpapers.org/archive/KLEADO-3.pdf

Abstract

In this paper I argue for the importance of treating mental experience on its own terms. In defense of “experiential realism” I offer a critique of modern psychology’s all-too-frequent attempts to effect an objectification and quantification of personal subjectivity. The question is “What can we learn about experiential reality from indices that, in the service of scientific objectification, transform the qualitative properties of experience into quantitative indices?” I conclude that such treatment is neither necessary for realizing, nor sufficient for capturing, subjectively given states (such as perception, pain, imagery, fear, thought, memory) – that is, for understanding many of the principle objects of psychological inquiry. A “science of mind” that approaches its subject matter from a third-person perspective should, I contend, be treated with a healthy amount of informed skepticism.

In my view, science needs to adopt a new, more inclusive, metaphysics,  one in which reality is not reduced to only that which can be captured by current scientific methods.

I thank Galen Strawson for suggesting the quote at the beginning of this article, as well as for insightful comments on the text.

@philipthrift

[Bruno Marchal]

On 14 Nov 2019, at 19:35, Philip Thrift <cloud...@gmail.com> wrote:

A Defense of Experiential Realism: The Need to take Phenomenological Reality on its own Terms in the Study of the Mind

Stan B. Klein

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

University of California at Santa Barbara

https://philpapers.org/archive/KLEADO-3.pdf

Abstract

In this paper I argue for the importance of treating mental experience on its own terms. In defense of “experiential realism” I offer a critique of modern psychology’s all-too-frequent attempts to effect an objectification and quantification of personal subjectivity. The question is “What can we learn about experiential reality from indices that, in the service of scientific objectification, transform the qualitative properties of experience into quantitative indices?” I conclude that such treatment is neither necessary for realizing, nor sufficient for capturing, subjectively given states (such as perception, pain, imagery, fear, thought, memory) – that is, for understanding many of the principle objects of psychological inquiry. A “science of mind” that approaches its subject matter from a third-person perspective should, I contend, be treated with a healthy amount of informed skepticism.

Nice!

In my view, science needs to adopt a new, more inclusive, metaphysics,  one in which reality is not reduced to only that which can be captured by current scientific methods.

In other terms: … one in which reality is not defined by what we see, observe, measure. 

In other terms: we need to come back on Plato’s skepticism on the idea that matter is primary, perhaps, as enforced by taking Descartes and Turing seriously into account.

No need of a new metaphysics: the preceding one was working very well, and the Theaeteus’ nuance of belief versus knowledge leads to an arithmetical interpretation of the five main hypostases of Parmenides and Plotinus. And the Observable one is testable, and indeed gives rise two a triple of quantum logics, with justifiable and non justifiable parts, knowable and not knowable parts, as well as believable and non believable, with all the math to get quanta and qualia.

Bruno

I thank Galen Strawson for suggesting the quote at the beginning of this article, as well as for insightful comments on the text.

@philipthrift

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