Pragmatism is perhaps America's most distinctive contribution to philosophy. Developed by Pierce, Dewey, and James in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pragmatism holds that both the meaning and the truth of any idea is a function of its practical outcome. The pragmatists rejected all forms of absolutism and insisted that all principles be regarded as working hypotheses that must bear fruit in lived experience. Join John and Ken as they dig into this intellectually vibrant, still influential, and distinctly American philosophical tradition with John McDermott from Texas A&M University, author of经验的文化:美国谷物中的哲学随笔。
John and Ken begin by discussing the history of pragmatism and its unique roots in the American intellectual tradition. Ken discusses how the phrase "American Pragmatism" has a double meaning since both the school of philosophy and the average american seems more interested in getting things done and the result of action rather than abstract theories which do not inspire action. John goes on to describe the original tenet of pragmatism according to Charles Sanders Peirce: think about what the truth of statements means in terms of action, or what the consequences of truth is. Ken discusses William James' view of pragmatism, which roughly equates truth and usefulness--if something is true it is useful, and if it isn't useful, then talking about its truth doesn't make sense. John discusses the difference between James' pragmatism and Peirce's pragmaticism, and the difference between something being true and someone believing something is true.
John和Ken介绍John McDermott，德州农工大学哲学特任教授，威廉·詹姆斯的许多收藏品的编辑，美国实用主义专家。John McDermott首先试图将实用主义定义为一种观点或感性，即没有什么是绝对的，结果无处不在。肯试图解开这幅哲学图景，约翰指出实用主义的关键元素之一是易错主义——即一个人永远不可能对任何事情绝对确信，而且主张必须随时修改。
Ken contrasts this central tenet of pragmatism to past philosophies which present fundamental framework truths that can be known for sure and can then be used to predict later experience. John McDermott discusses the history of pragmatism and how it can be explained as a continuation of Kant. Ken wonders what the difference between empiricism and pragmatism amounts to, and McDermott describes James and Dewey's response to empiricist arguments.
Ken brings up the relationship between truth and reality and whether or not the disconnect between this relationship in pragmatism makes it difficult to adopt. Aren't some things just true? Aren't there some things that are true but not useful? John McDermott and John Perry discuss these problems and callers weigh in on their interpretations of pragmatism, the relationship of absolutes and universals, as well as critical comments about the usefulness of a theory which considers only usefulness.
