On Multiple Realities

Abstract

In a famous chapter of his Principles of Psychology William James analyzes our sense of reality.' Reality, so he states, means simply relation to our emotional and active life. The origin of all reality is subjective, whatever excites and stimulates our interest is real. To call a thing real means that this thing stands in a certain relation to ourselves. "The word 'real' is, in short, a fringe." Our primitive impulse is to affirm imme- diately the reality of all that is conceived, as long as it remains uncontra- dicted. But there are several, probably an infinite number of various orders of realities, each with its own special and separate style of existence. James calls them "sub-universes" and mentions as examples the world of sense or physical things (as the paramount reality); the world of science; the world of ideal relations; the world of "idols of the tribe"; the various supernatural worlds of mythology and religion; the various worlds of individual opinion; the worlds of sheer madness and vagary.' The popular mind conceives of all these sub-worlds more or less disconnectedly; and when dealing with one of them forgets for the time being its relations to the rest. But every object we think of is at last referred to one of these sub- worlds. "Each world whilst it is attended to is real after its own fashion; only the reality lapses with the attention." With these remarks James' genius has touched on one of the most important philosophical questions. Intentionally restricting his inquiry to the psychological aspect of the problem he has refrained from embarking upon an investigation of the many implications involved. The following considerations, fragmentary as they are, attempt to outline a first approach to some of them with the special aim of clarifying the relationship between the reality of the world of daily life and that of theoretical, scientific contemplation.