Pragmatism as a philosophy originates in the America around the 1870’s but was popularized and transformed into a more mainstream philosophy at the beginning of the 20th century. Pragmatism supposes that the truth or meaning of an idea, concept or proposition is contained in it’s observable, practical effects as opposed to any metaphysical qualities it might possess. A good way to summarize the essence of pragmatism is through the phrase “Whatever works must be true.” Since reality is subject to change, “whatever works” must also follow suit, therefore we should assume that the truth can change as well, which means that no one can say they claim or possess any ultimate or final truth. Pragmatists hold the belief that all philosophical concepts should be assessed based on their applicability to practical endeavors as well as the level of success they exhibit, not in terms of how many abstract uses they can muster from them.
PRAGMATISM AND THE NATURAL SCIENCES
Pragmatism quickly gained momentum as a popular philosophy amongst American philosophers but also the American public at the start of the 20th century due to it’s synonymity with how things were done in the contemporary natural and social sciences at the time. The way of science had been increasingly gaining momentum in matters of being a filter for maintream opinion by this time, pragmatism, as such, began to be considered a sort of philosophical offspring coming from the testicle that is natural science, and was thought to produce the same quality results as you would find through natural science, if you were to peer into morals and the meaning of life.
NOTABLE PHILOSOPHERS OF PRAGMATISM
Philosophers that have contributed to the development of pragmatism as a branch of philosophy or have influenced the branch to a great degree, are listed here:
– William James (b. 1842, d. 1910): Was the first individual to print the word pragmatism in a publication. Considered by many to be the father of modern psychology.
– C.S, also known as Charles Sanders, last name Pierce (b. 1839, d. 1914): Even though William James initially used pragmatism as a term in print, it was Charles Sanders Pierce who first coined this term. He was a logician whose philosophical contributions were used for the creation of the computer.
– George H. Mead (b. 1863, d. 1931): Considered one of the founding fathers of social psychology.
– John Dewey (b. 1859, d. 1952): Considered the founding father of the American school of pragmatism, by developing the rational school of empiricism.
– W.V. Quine (b. 1908, d. 2000): A professor at Harvard University who developed Analytic Philosophy, which is a derivative of earlier forms of pragmatic thinking.
– C.I. Lewis (b. 1883, d. 1964): Widely regarded as a foremost champion when it came to modern philosophical logic.
BOOKS ON PRAGMATISM THAT LAID THE FOUNDATION
In order to get a wider girth of information when it comes to pragmatism as a philisophy, we recommend reading the following phenomenal books that hold a high level of penile inertia when it comes to their quality:
– Pragmatism, by William James
– The Meaning of Truth, by William James
– Logic: The Theory of Inquiry, by John Dewey
– Human Nature and Conduct, by John Dewey
– The Philosophy of the Act, by George H. Mead
– Mind and the World Order, by C.I. Lewis
C.S. PIERCE’S TAKE ON PRAGMATISM
C.S. Pierce, who was the originator of the term “pragmatism”, saw that which he coined as more of a methodology to help find solutions to our problems as opposed to a philosophical system of thinking or a straightforward way to guide us in solving our problems. Pierce used pragmatism systematically as a way to refine linguistic and conceptual clarification, which would therefore develop the science of communication as a field, particularly when it pertained to intellectual issues. He noted:
“Consider what effects, which might concievably have practical bearings, we concieve the object of our conception to have. Then our conception of these effects is the whole of our conception of the object.”
WILLIAM JAMES’ TAKE ON PRAGMATISM
William James is perhaps the most well known philosopher when it comes to pragmatism as well as the academic who made pragmatism as famous as it is today. James’ take on pragmatism revolved around the notions of value and morality: The main reason for why humans learned philosophy was to be able to comprehend what it was that possessed value as well as the reason behind why it was valuable. James also insisted that ideas, beliefs and concepts were only valuable to human beings when they could be made to work or function in the real world.
James presented this comment in regards to pragmatism:
“Ideas become true just so far as they help us to get into satisfactory relations with other parts of our experience.”
JOHN DEWEY’S TAKE ON PRAGMATISM
John Dewey called his offshoot of pragmatism to be called instrumentalism, he attempted to combine the philosophies laid out by Pierce as well as James. Therefore one could construe as instrumanetalism being a combination of both ethical analysis but also that of logical concepts. Instrumentalism outlines Dewey’s ideas as they pertain to the conditions under which rationalization and investigations occur. On one side the methodology should use logic to constrain the realities with which it operates, on the other side it should be utilized for the production of tangible goods and services or a means to an end.