How did William James use pragmatism to criticize monism and the idea of a block universe?

William James utilized his pragmatic method to challenge the concept of a "block universe"—a monistic view that characterizes reality as a static, closed system where all events are interconnected and predetermined.12

James argued that the meaning of any idea is found in the specific, observable consequences it produces in human experience. By applying this rule, he criticized monism and the block universe for failing to account for the empirical reality of change, chance, novelty, and plurality. He contended that these static, absolute theories were disconnected from the "living level" of human purposes and the unfinished, evolving nature of the world.314

Instead of accepting a universe "cemented" together by hidden metaphysical substrata, James advocated for radical empiricism. He maintained that the relations between things are as real as the things themselves and that no overarching, unified structure is necessary to explain the world's coherences or clashes. For James, the pragmatic value of an idea lay in its ability to open up valuable, possible directions for action, rather than in conforming to a rigid, monistic totality.13