
In this thoughtful exploration, the author tackles a persistent puzzle: how to reconcile the emerging materialist leanings of behaviorist psychology with the increasingly abstract, event‑based picture of matter presented by modern physics. He shows that while psychologists increasingly tie mental processes to observable behavior and physiology, physicists—following Einstein and Eddington—are stripping “matter” of its solid, independent status. The resulting tension invites a fresh perspective that refuses to pick sides between mind and matter.
Drawing on William James and the American new‑realists, the work proposes a “neutral stuff” as the common ground from which both mental and physical phenomena are constructed. Through clear examples and careful argument, listeners are guided to consider how our everyday experiences might emerge from something neither purely mental nor purely material. The book opens a dialogue that remains surprisingly relevant for anyone curious about the foundations of cognition and the nature of reality.
Language
en
Duration
~9 hours (518K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Dianne Bean, and David Widger
Release date
2001-02-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1872–1970
A brilliant and wide-ranging thinker, he helped reshape modern philosophy and logic while writing with unusual clarity for general readers. His books move easily from big questions about truth and knowledge to urgent arguments about war, freedom, and how people might live more sanely together.
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