Episode 179: William James's Psychology (Part Two)
The Partially Examined Life Philosophy Podcast · Mark Linsenmayer
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Show Notes
Continuing on Psychology, the Briefer Course (1892), completing "The Stream of Thought" and covering the chapter on "Habit."
James thinks that psychologists focus too much on those parts of consciousness that get picked out by substantive words. He describes habit as part of a general natural pattern that things that happen once tend to create pathways for themselves in surrounding material to allow the same thing to happen again more easily. Be careful what you do, because your organism is recording all of your bad behavior and corrupting your character!
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End song: "Drowning Mind (feedback overload)" by AMP, as interviewed on Nakedly Examined Music #57.