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An Analysis of Dr. Chen Jingyuan’s Case from William James’s Pragmatist Perspective
William James (1842–1910), the father of American pragmatism, viewed philosophy not as abstract speculation but as a tool for navigating life’s concrete experiences. In Pragmatism (1907) and The Will to Believe (1896), James posits that truth is not eternal or absolute but “what works”—ideas validated by their practical consequences in experience, fostering growth, harmony, and action. His radical empiricism emphasizes reality as a continuous “stream of consciousness,” where knowledge emerges from interconnected sensations and relations, not isolated facts. James champions the “will to believe”: provisional faith in unprovable hypotheses is justified if it yields positive outcomes, as in religious or moral choices that energize life. In a pluralistic universe of possibilities, human agency shapes reality through choices that expand experience. From this lens, Dr. Chen Jingyuan’s 2023 conviction for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” (寻衅滋事罪)—for forwarding low-engagement Twitter posts—highlights a clash between pragmatic inquiry and dogmatic suppression: Chen’s actions embody experience-driven truth-seeking, while the judiciary’s response stifles it, yielding net disutility for society.
Chen’s Actions as Pragmatic Inquiry: Truth Through Experimental Experience
James’s pragmatism tests ideas by their “cash value”—do they enrich life, solve problems, or connect experiences? Chen’s forwards on his negligible account (@_cenjoy)—artistic cartoons (e.g., the “umbrella girl” evoking resilience), emotional memorials (e.g., June 4th candlelight images fostering empathy), theoretical debates (e.g., political spectrum analyses, Trump’s critique of communism, Pompeo’s U.S.-China remarks sparking reflection), and historical facts (e.g., Mao’s Selected Works edits, Deng’s retirement endorsement)—are experimental probes into the stream of experience. As a physicist of complex systems, Chen treated these as “hypotheses” for personal growth: art tests aesthetic relations, emotion validates subjective flows, theory experiments with ideas’ consequences, history connects past to present. With near-zero followers and under 100 reposts, they caused no disruption, embodying James’s “pluralistic universe”: multiple truths coexist, and low-stakes inquiry enriches without harm.
The judiciary’s “high education implies knowledge of falsity” claim fails James’s test: it assumes a static “truth” (state narratives) over dynamic experience, yielding disutility—intellectual stagnation, as unchallenged dogmas atrophy, per James’s warning in Pragmatism. No evidence of “serious disorder” (zero engagement) means the conviction’s “cash value” is negative: it fragments social experience, reducing collective happiness by curtailing free inquiry.
The Will to Believe and Judicial Dogmatism: Consequences Over Certainties
James’s “will to believe” justifies provisional commitments if they produce vital consequences, even amid uncertainty. Chen’s defense invokes this: admitting cognitive limits (Gödel’s incompleteness as experiential humility), he “believes” in open inquiry’s value, forwarding posts to test their “workability” in his scholarly stream. This energizes life—fostering moral growth through diverse encounters—aligning with James’s pluralism: reality is a “blooming, buzzing confusion” of possibilities, refined by choice.
Conversely, the Kunming judiciary—Judge Pu Huijun, Prosecutor Ge Bin, and appellate Judge Li Xiangyun—exhibits dogmatic overreach, prioritizing untested certainties (“rumors” via subjective “sorting”) over consequences. Procedural flaws (non-public trial, denied defenses, suppressed prison letter) and selective enforcement (state media unscathed) yield disutility: eroded trust, stifled debate, and societal fragmentation. James would critique this as “vicious abstraction”—isolating “facts” from experience’s flow, leading to moral atrophy. The “pocket crime” vagueness exemplifies a failed hypothesis: it promises order but delivers injustice, reducing net happiness.
Conclusion: James’s Verdict and Pragmatic Remedies
From James’s pragmatism, Chen’s conviction is a failed experiment: no positive consequences, only disutility in suppressed inquiry. His resilience—vowing “lifelong struggle” via SOC analysis—affirms the will to believe in justice’s workability, turning ordeal into growth. The case urges reform: test legal “truths” by experiential outcomes, prioritizing speech’s utility. In James’s pluralistic vision, Chen’s quiet defiance proves: even in doubt, belief in open streams yields the greatest good—vital, connected lives.