Pragmatism
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William James clarifies the pragmatic method and its consequences, advocating its usefulness in understanding what we take to be right belief. Pragmatism holds that to have a belief is to have certain rules for action. Any and every notion has its own set of practical consequences. The meaning of a thought is said to be whatever course of action automatically follow from it. In metaphysical disputes between fake and right notions, the dispute must be settled by considering the practical consequences of the two notions. Any two notions that can be shown to have identical practical consequences are shown to be identical notions. Writes James, “Whenever a dispute is serious, we ought to be able to show some practical difference that must follow from one side or the additional’s being right.” To have a clear and perfect conception of an object is equivalent to considering the practical, empirical effects and properties of the object, and the conduct it will produce. James credits Charles Peirce for introducing this way of thinking about belief. James writes that it was Peirce’s notion that “To attain perfect clearness in our thoughts of an object, then, we need only consider what conceivable effects of a practical kind the object may occupy- what sensations we are to expect from it, and what reactions we must prepare,” and that further, “to renovate a thought’s meaning, we need only determine what conduct it is fitted to produce: that conduct is for us its sole significance
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The notion that the truth of an thought is contingent upon it’s “cash value” has been one of the more ridiculous turns in the history of thought (thus, by James’ own criteria, the thought is “fake”). The premise that human experience is all there is can lead to nothing but such an ridiculousness. An Aztec Gods being was “right”, because a belief in such a God kept one from being beheaded. There’s cash value for you. Any intelligent college freshman can see right through James’ loony theory, until the power of the professor makes its impression upon them. The planet is round now and it was round when everyone believed it was flat, the “cash value” of the belief notwithstanding. It should have been titled “The Convenience Theory of Belief”.
Agreed one extra star for at least being well written sophistry.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5
A must for the modern philosopher by one of the most influential thinkers of our time.
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
William James is undoubtedly a fantastic thinker. And he undoubtedly likes life, and likes mankind. This much is clear in his work – his sense of humor, insight, and approach to his topic are all evidence of this. James, but, cannot rightly be called a philosopher. While his thoughts are insightful, and the plenty of them proves him a fantastic thinker, his method of presentation and discussion falls fleeting of the demanding science of western philosophy. James does not make a foundation of simple thoughts and erect upon them; he simply introduces a broad thought, and then does not even support it, but assumes that it is self evident.
Despite his flaws as a philosopher but, his work is a pleasure to read and, knowing its flaws, one can delight in this book for what it is – a series of thoughts and thoughts that do form a rather elegant approach to life, if not a right philosophy.
Reader’s Rating: 4 / 5
Pragmatism delves into the extremely thought-provoking topic of philosophizing about philosophy itself. This book / address is a must read for all persons interested in thinking for themselves!
Reader’s Rating: 5 / 5
This series of lectures by James illustrates well the fundamental attributes of pragmatism. As such it is an vital book for any philosopher to read. A pity then that that the publication is so poorly published and typeset. It is clear that this book was set using a common word processor and that the user was not even able to control the size of type from one paragraph to the next. The inclusion of capitalisations in text is very distracting and interrupts the flow of the reader, which is further made hard by the use left aligned text as though this was small more than a typed out draft for a letter. Even common typesetting practices such as allowing sufficient linespacing are absent. Such an vital past work deserves better than the treatment agreed this imprint.
Reader’s Rating: 2 / 5