Para um empirismo radical: sobre William James e a relação contemporânea entre psicologia e espiritualidade

Abstract

William James developed in his work a useful philosophical framework for studies on consciousness and religion which remains valid and applicable in the contemporary practice of disciplines such as psychology and anthropology.The present work is an initial exploration of philosophical possibilities opened up by James in these fields: religiosity, spirituality, and the search for meaning and transcendence in a disenchanted world.The thesis was divided into two parts.In Part I was presented the context of the contemporary relationship between psychology and spirituality.In this part, I discussed the meaning of both words, the relationship that historically exists between them and James's role in the historical constitution of that relationship.Besides having a historical role in the formation of a field of studies in which these two topics interconnect, James provided also a philosophical approach to investigate them.He called this approach "radical empiricism".In Part II, I developed a reflection on radical empiricism, working out some concepts which may be useful for a radically empiricist inquiry.