🤖PRAGMATISM

BELOW_IS_LESS_INTERESTING

digest

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William James’ Pragmatism consists of eight lectures that explore the current state of philosophy, the meaning of pragmatism, the problem of metaphysics, the one and the many, pragmatism and common sense, the view of truth, humanism, and its relationship to religion. Pragmatism is proposed as a mediator between positivism and rationalism; truth is the good of beliefs and resolves conflicts between truths. Pragmatism considers metaphysics issues such as matter, God, design, and free will, and what the alternatives in each issue promise. Explains that philosophy seeks wholeness, that the world is one in many ways, the growth of knowledge, and the common sense concepts discovered by our prehistoric ancestors. It explains that truth grows in agreement with reality, meaning verifiability, the ability to make us successful through experience. It explains the three realities that the new truth must take into account, that an absolutely independent reality is hard to find, and that the human contribution is omnipresent and builds on what is given. Finally, we will explain absolute usefulness, the two perspectives of world salvation, that pragmatism is ameliorationist, and that we can create our reality.

Opinions, deep thoughts, questions

Pragmatism serves as a mediator between fact and religion, rationalism and positivism, but it is not clear about the process of mediation or how to integrate solutions. Also, pragmatism’s view of truth implies the ability of truth to make us successful through experience, but does this not deny the universality of truth? Does the notion that truth grows mean that truth changes over time? The relationship between pragmatism and humanism also needs to be considered. The relationship between pragmatism and religion also needs to be considered. Pragmatism is ameliorationist and claims that we can create reality, but does this mean transferring the role of God to humans? How does this reconcile with a religious perspective?

Relation to Fragment

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Nishio’s fragment relates to Lectures II and III of Pragmatism. Lecture II discusses pragmatism’s methodology and theory of truth, while Lecture III discusses pragmatic considerations of metaphysical problems. These fragments are relevant to my research notes and help to deepen my understanding of pragmatism.

extra info

TITLES: PRAGMATISM, Blurred Maru, Hatena2009-06-02, PAST re, Hatena2013-02-03 generated: 2023-08-18 02:55

previous notes

🤖PRAGMATISM

digest

.

William James’ “Pragmatism” consists of eight lectures: the current dilemma of philosophy, the meaning of pragmatism, the problem of metaphysics, the one and the many, pragmatism and common sense, pragmatism’s view of truth, pragmatism and humanism, and pragmatism and religion.

Lecture I points out that all people have a philosophy, that temperament influences philosophy, that positivism lacks religion, and rationalism lacks facts. Pragmatism is proposed as a system to mediate these.

Lecture II explains the history and characteristics of pragmatism as a methodology, contrasts pragmatism with rationalism and intellectualism, and pragmatism as a theory of truth. Truth is the good of beliefs, and pragmatism resolves conflicts between truths.

Lecture III examines pragmatic metaphysics issues such as matter, materialism, God, design, and free will. What the alternatives in each problem promise is important.

Lecture IV examines the pragmatics of concepts such as philosophy’s search for wholeness as well as unity, the world being one in many ways, one origin, one purpose, one narrative, and one perceiver.

Lecture V explains the growth of knowledge, the concept of common sense as discovered by our prehistoric ancestors, and the comparison of scientific and philosophical critical stages with common sense.

Lecture VI explains that truth means congruence with reality, which means verifiability, the ability to make us successful through experience, and that truth grows.

Lecture VII explains the concept of truth, the three realities that the new truth must take into account, the difficulty of finding an absolutely independent reality, and the omnipresence of human contribution and the construction of the given.

Lecture VIII explains absolute usefulness, the two perspectives of world salvation, pragmatism being ameliorationism, that we can create reality, why something must exist, the assumption of choice before creation, healthy and morbid answers, types of religion of kindness and severity.

Opinions, deep thoughts, questions

Pragmatism serves as a mediator between fact and religion, rationalism and positivism. But how does this mediation process take place? And how does the solution offered by pragmatism integrate these opposing viewpoints?

Pragmatism’s view of truth states that truth implies the ability to make us successful through experience. But doesn’t this definition deny the universality of truth? And does the notion that truth grows mean that truth changes over time?

We need to think deeply about the relationship between pragmatism and humanism. Pragmatism asserts that human contributions are omnipresent and construct what is given, but how does this relate to the humanist perspective?

The relationship between pragmatism and religion must also be considered. Pragmatism is ameliorationist and asserts that we can create reality. But does this mean transferring the role of God to human beings? And how does this harmonize with a religious perspective?

BELOW_IS_LESS_INTERESTING

Relevance to fragments of Nisio’s research notes

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The fragments of Nisio’s research notes are mainly about programming and privacy protection, and we could not find any direct relevance. However, it is possible to consider these issues from a pragmatist perspective. For example, the programming issue is related to pragmatism’s view of truth, the ability of truth to make us successful through experience. And the issue of privacy protection relates to pragmatism’s role in mediating between fact and religion, rationalism and positivism.

extra info

titles: PRAGMATISM, Hatena2009-07-15, Hatena2009-08-25, Hatena2008-07-25, From Regroup to Movidea, Neochi generated: 2023-08-18 02:51

previous notes

🤖PRAGMATISM

• pragmatism 🌀PRAGMATISM A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking By William James To the Memory of John Stuart Mill from whom I first learned the pragmatic openness of mind and whom my fancy likes to picture as our leader were he alive to-day.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5116/5116-h/5116-h.htm Lecture I. — The Present Dilemma in Philosophy Lecture II. — What Pragmatism Means Lecture III. — Some Metaphysical Problems Pragmatically Considered Lecture IV. — The One and the Many Lecture V. — Pragmatism and Common Sense Lecture VI. — Pragmatism’s Conception of Truth Lecture VII. — Pragmatism and Humanism Lecture VIII. — Pragmatism and Religion

Lecture I The Present Dilemma in Philosophy Chesterton quoted. Everyone has a philosophy. Temperament is a factor in all philosophizing. Rationalists and empiricists. The tender-minded and the tough-minded. Most men wish both facts and religion. Empiricism gives facts without religion. Rationalism gives religion without facts. The layman’s dilemma. The unreality in rationalistic systems. Leibnitz on the damned, as an example. M. I. Swift on the optimism of idealists. Pragmatism as a mediating system. An objection. Reply: philosophies have characters like men, and are liable to as summary judgments. Spencer as an example. Lecture II What Pragmatism Means The squirrel. Pragmatism as a method. History of the method. Its character and affinities. How it contrasts with rationalism and intellectualism. A ‘corridor theory.’ Pragmatism as a theory of truth, equivalent to ‘humanism.’ Earlier views of mathematical, logical, and natural truth. More recent views. Schiller’s and Dewey’s ‘instrumental’ view. The formation of new beliefs. Older truth always has to be kept account of. Older truth arose similarly. The ‘humanistic’ doctrine. Rationalistic criticisms of it. Pragmatism as mediator between empiricism and religion. Barrenness of transcendental idealism. How far the concept of the Absolute must be called true. The true is the good in the way of belief. The clash of truths. Pragmatism unstiffens discussion. Lecture III Some Metaphysical Problems Pragmatically Considered The problem of substance. The Eucharist. Berkeley’s pragmatic treatment of material substance. Locke’s of personal identity. The problem of materialism. Rationalistic treatment of it. Pragmatic treatment. ‘God’ is no better than ‘Matter’ as a principle, unless he promise more. Pragmatic comparison of the two principles. The problem of design. ‘Design’ per se is barren. The question is WHAT design. The problem of ‘free-will.’ Its relations to ‘accountability.’ Free-will a cosmological theory. The pragmatic issue at stake in all these problems is what do the alternatives PROMISE. Lecture IV The One and the Many Total reflection. Philosophy seeks not only unity, but totality. Rationalistic feeling about unity. Pragmatically considered, the world is one in many ways. One time and space. One subject of discourse. Its parts interact. Its oneness and manyness are co-ordinate. Question of one origin. Generic oneness. One purpose. One story. One knower. Value of pragmatic method. Absolute monism. Vivekananda. Various types of union discussed. Conclusion: We must oppose monistic dogmatism and follow empirical findings. Lecture V Pragmatism and Common Sense Noetic pluralism. How our knowledge grows. Earlier ways of thinking remain. Prehistoric ancestors DISCOVERED the common sense concepts. List of them. They came gradually into use. Space and time. ‘Things.’ Kinds. ‘Cause’ and ‘law.’ Common sense one stage in mental evolution, due to geniuses. The ‘critical’ stages: 1) scientific and 2) philosophic, compared with common sense. Impossible to say which is the more ‘true.’ Lecture VI Pragmatism’s Conception of Truth The polemic situation. What does agreement with reality mean? It means verifiability. Verifiability means ability to guide us prosperously through experience. Completed verifications seldom needful. ‘Eternal’ truths. Consistency, with language, with previous truths. Rationalist objections. Truth is a good, like health, wealth, etc. It is expedient thinking. The past. Truth grows. Rationalist objections. Reply to them. Lecture VII Pragmatism and Humanism The notion of THE Truth. Schiller on ‘Humanism.’ Three sorts of reality of which any new truth must take account. To ‘take account’ is ambiguous. Absolutely independent reality is hard to find. The human contribution is ubiquitous and builds out the given. Essence of pragmatism’s contrast with rationalism. Rationalism affirms a transempirical world. Motives for this. Tough-mindedness rejects them. A genuine alternative. Pragmatism mediates. Lecture VIII Pragmatism and Religion Utility of the Absolute. Whitman’s poem ‘To You.’ Two ways of taking it. My friend’s letter. Necessities versus possibilities. ‘Possibility’ defined. Three views of the world’s salvation. Pragmatism is melioristic. We may create reality. Why should anything BE? Supposedchoice before creation. The healthy and the morbid reply. The ‘tender’and the ‘tough’ types of religion. Pragmatism mediates.

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