O problema da linguagem psicológica no pensamento de William James

Abstract

Language is an important tool for the humankind, because it allows us to know the world and communicate with others. Within psychology, it is also important, because through it psychologists formulate theories about the mental life. However, throughout history, philosophers and psychologists have identified limits and problems with language. In this context, this paper highlights the contribution of William James (1842-1910). Even stressing the importance of language, James identifies that the use of language in psychology can be problematic, because it is connected with common sense, which has an objective and imprecise language, making the description of subjective life difficult. Furthermore, there are other two cases where we can see the limits of language. The first happens when we try to represent conscious mental life, which works as a stream, for we cannot capture or describe all its parts. The second is the case of religious experiences; these experiences are of an emotional character and it is difficult to describe them rationally. Thus, the issues pointed by James lead us to reflect about the possibilities and limits of psychological investigations.