David Bohm is known primarily for his work in physics and cosmology, but his contributions to the field of psychology were equally profound and significant. His understanding of the nature and dynamic structure of consciousness, and their relevance to the ordinary affairs of daily life, had several sources. His views were shaped in part by his experience with members of the scientific community and his disillusionment with their independence of mind and objectivity. He also drew upon the work of Hegel and Piaget, among others. The greatest influence upon his outlook on psychology, however, was the philosophy of J. Krishnamurti, and the quarter-century of dialogue and collaboration between the two men.
In Bohm’s approach to psychology, the role of thought occupies a central position in consciousness, including our common misconceptions about thought and the illusions that thought generates. The remedy for these illusions is insight, which represents a form of seeing or intelligence that transcends the limitations of thought. These views closely parallel those of Krishnamurti, but Bohm expressed them with his own gift for language and colourful metaphors. In this presentation, we will examine the basic elements of Bohmian psychology with special reference to the work of Krishnamurti and the nature and quality of the relationship between the two men.
David Edmund Moody, PhD author and educator