Showing results for "Pragmatism" in Religion & Spirituality

William James was one of the most influential figures in 19th-century American philosophy and psychology. His Pragmatism is a set of lectures that he gave in 1906-07 in answer to the enduring debate between empiricism and rationalism. Shifting between them, he proposed pragmatism as a method, the idea being that the value of any truth is dependent upon its utility–upon its practical and experiential consequences.

This week we explores the nature of DMT, its various forms, and the question of whether experiences induced by it are "real." It then shifts to a philosophical discussion of reality, contrasting pragmatic and idealistic views, using string theory and the DMT experience as examples. The author argues that the "reality" of such experiences is best assessed pragmatically, based on predictive value, rather than through absolute claims of truth. Ultimately, the author suggests that the aesthetic and personal value of these experiences outweighs the need to define their objective reality. A ...