Subjective Experience (Eagle, 2024) - Weekend Book Review

Welcome to Revise and Resubmit, the podcast where we break down the books and ideas that make us rethink how we live, learn, and connect with the world. In today’s Weekend Book Review, we’re diving into a fascinating exploration of what it really means to experience life from the inside: Morris N. Eagle’s latest work, Subjective Experience, published by Routledge in March 2024. This book is more than an academic exercise—it’s a bold reminder that consciousness isn’t just something we think about; it’s something we live every day. For those who aren’t familiar with Eagle, his work has had a profound influence on psychology and psychoanalysis. As Professor Emeritus at the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, Eagle has spent decades exploring the complexities of the mind. He’s a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a recipient of the Sigourney Award, one of the highest honors in psychoanalysis. With over 150 published works, he knows a thing or two about the deeper dimensions of human thought. In Subjective Experience, Eagle challenges the dominant trend in psychology and neuroscience—reducing everything to brain functions and behaviors. He asks us to rethink how we define mental health by emphasizing the role of subjective experience as a continuum that extends beyond the conscious and unconscious divide. Through case studies and philosophical insights, Eagle shows us that what happens inside our minds—how we feel and interpret life—matters just as much as what happens outside. This is a must-read for therapists, psychologists, and anyone curious about the role of the mind in shaping our realities. We’d like to thank Morris N. Eagle and Routledge for making this insightful work open to the public. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to hit subscribe on Spotify and check out our YouTube channel, Weekend Researcher. You can also find us on Amazon Prime Music and Apple Podcast—so you never miss a chance to discover more game-changing ideas. And here’s something to think about as we close—if subjective experience is the thread that ties our thoughts and emotions together, how might acknowledging this change the way we treat mental health, not just in theory but in practice? Reference Eagle, M.N. (2024). Subjective Experience: Its Fate in Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Philosophy of Mind (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032686967 Youtube channel link https://www.youtube.com/@weekendresearcher