Pragmatism, by William James
I wrote the manuscript for the 2024 edition.
Yes, I will be writing a manuscript for the 2024 edition. What follows is a review of the main points of James William’s 1907 book “Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking” from a 2024 perspective.
- The term pragmatism is still commonly used in philosophy, but its origins date back to the early 20th century, when in 1907 William James popularized the concept in a lecture series titled “Pragmatism.
According to James, the core of pragmatism lies in the way we view “truth. We believe that truth is not static and unchanging, but is continually being updated based on our experience. Whether an idea is “true” or not depends on how it affects our real lives.
This view of truth is distinct from traditional rationalist philosophy. Rationalism holds that there is an absolute truth in the world that is independent of human perception. Pragmatism, on the other hand, is pluralistic and views truth in relative terms.
James used the unique expression “cash value (cash value)” to emphasize the practical significance of truth. When we believe something to be “true,” what concrete benefit does it bring? That is the question that must be asked.
Pragmatism was later further refined by John Dewey and F.C.S. Schiller and others. They applied the pragmatic approach not only to “truth” but also to issues of ethics and values.
As mentioned above, Mr. James’ ideas had a profound influence on philosophy in the 20th century and beyond, and even today, more than 100 years later, we still have much to learn from pragmatism. It is precisely because we are in this age of confusion that we are called upon to recover “living thought.
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