The Stream of Consciousness and the Epochal Theory of Time

The Jamesian notion of the 'stream of consciousness' is closely related to the epochal theory of time and stems from an attempt to resolve the old aporia contained in Zeno's paradoxes. Time flows like a 'river' or a 'stream,' but still it grows by 'drops' or 'buds.' These basic units of time are whole and indivisible, but they do not 'crack' or 'divide' reality. Other process philosophies, such as Henri Bergson's duree and Alfred N. Whitehead's epochal theory of time, also include this notion of a continuous time that integrates interrelated units accounting for individualisation without any breach of continuity. The examination of memory and the status of the past as a positive existence also emphasises the temporal aspect of reality.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The Jamesian notion of the ‘stream of consciousness’ is closely related to the epochal theory of time. It also stems from an attempt to resolve the old aporia contained in Zeno’s paradoxes. Time flows like a ‘river’ or a ‘stream,’ but still it grows by ‘drops’ or ‘buds.’ These basic units of time are whole and indivisible, but they do not ‘crack’ or ‘divide’ reality. Other process philosophies also include this notion of a continuous time that, nevertheless, integrates these interrelated units that account for individualisation without any breach of continuity. Henri Bergson’s duree and Alfred N. Whitehead’s epochal theory of time clearly illustrate this doctrine. The examination of memory and the status of the past as a positive existence also emphasise the temporal aspect of reality. Existing reality grows out of its past, which endures in the newborn actuality.