radical empiricism

American  

noun

1. (in the philosophy of William James) the doctrine that the only proper subject matter of philosophy is that which can be defined in terms of experience, and that relations are a part of experience.

2. sensationalism.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• radical empiricist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of radical empiricism

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

And the best way to get at Absolute Truth is simply to drop all thought and pay close attention to immediate perception, aka Zen meditation, aka radical empiricism.

From New York Times • Feb. 24, 2018

A rat-a-tat of surprising results over the past few years has supported this radical empiricism and done a lot to challenge traditional dualist philosophy.

From Slate • Nov. 24, 2014

Let any man read the Stonyhurst manuals, and say whether the radical empiricism of the Modernists could find a lodgment anywhere in such a system without disturbing the stability of the whole.

From Outspoken Essays by Inge, William Ralph

In radical empiricism there is no bedding; it is as if the pieces clung together by their edges, the transitions experienced between them forming their cement.

From Essays in Radical Empiricism by James, William

Against this rationalistic tendency to treat experience as chopped up into discontinuous static objects, radical empiricism protests.

From Essays in Radical Empiricism by James, William