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What is the study guide for William James's Pragmatism?

This study guide and infographic for William James's Pragmatism offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.

What is a pragmatic theory?

Pragmatism is a method for solving metaphysical disputes. Metaphysics is the study of the meaning, structure, and principles of reality. By comparing the practical consequences of believing in one or another metaphysical theories, a person can discern which may be the better theory. Alternatively, one can learn if, in fact, the results of opposing theories might be the same. Pragmatism also defines truth as "the good" or "the expedient." In this view truth is not static but is a process that changes in space and time according to context.

Who is the author of Pragmatism?

Among other ideas, it asserts that the results of a philosophical concept are its sole significance. The subtitle, A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking, refers to the fact that pragmatism is not new. The author asserts that pragmatic ideas can be found in the thinking of predecessors ranging from Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BCE) to Scottish philosopher David Hume (1711–76 CE).

Is Pragmatism written in third person?

While the text of Pragmatism is written primarily in third person, the author sometimes addresses the audience with the encompassing "we" and "our" pronouns and sometimes directly references himself as "I."

What is James' view of the Absolute?

James criticizes rationalist philosophers who must necessarily categorize evil as a part of "the Absolute." To demonstrate his disdain for absolutist views he juxtaposes Bradley's idea that "'The Absolute is the richer for every discord and for the diversity which it embraces" with an account of a poor and desperate Cleveland workingman who kills himself and his children. Practical people of the empiricist cast of mind are apt to dismiss such absolutist religiosity as a callous dismissal of people's suffering. But James offers an alternative in pragmatism, which allows for both the religious view and the "the richest intimacy with facts."

What is the most important fact to know about a person?

James begins the first lecture by noting that the most important fact to know about a person is his or her "view of the universe." Each person has his own philosophy, and underneath that philosophy is a "dumb sense of what life honestly and deeply means." James then makes some jokes about how people love to hear learned people speak about deep matters, even if neither the audience nor the speaker understands what is being spoken. "Philosophy is at once the most sublime and the most trivial of pursuits," he says. Given that philosophy is at its root a feeling about the world, professional philosophers create systems of thought that agree with their temperaments, although they attempt to support their biases with so-called objective premises. Therefore, there is a degree of insincerity in philosophical discussions, since the most "potent premise" is never mentioned.

What is the purpose of lecture 1?

Lecture 1 serves as an overture to William James 's treatise on pragmatism, and he hits important themes in this first lecture, which he will expound upon in the lectures that follow. First, he establishes himself as a man of the people, as opposed to an ivory tower "intellectualist." He will use this word repeatedly to indicate thinkers whose abstract philosophical ideas have little connection to reality.

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What is pragmatism?

Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition formally created in the United States in the late 19th century, based on the principle that the usefulness, applicability and practicality of an idea, policy or proposition, constitute its greatest merit.

What does it mean to be pragmatic?

The term "pragmatic" and "pragmatism" today has a popular meaning not too far from the foundations of this philosophical school. We use them to indicate that a person or a philosophy focuses more on obtaining results, than on the details of the procedure same.

Political Pragmatism

In politics, there are many theories and many principles to abide by, and this debate is constant in most of our societies. When we speak of political pragmatism, we generally mean a position that pays less attention to theories and principles, and focuses on the analysis of results or effects.