I encourage you to tune in to Philosophy Talk, a radio show hosted by two really cool Stanford Philosophy professors, John Perry and Ken Taylor. Here’s info about an episode with Prof. John McDermott on Pragmatism.
From the website:
| John McDermott, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Humanities, Texas A&M University |
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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.
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 and Ken introduce John McDermott, University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University, editor of many William James collections and expert on American Pragmatism. John McDermott begins by trying to define pragmatism as an outlook or sensibility that keeps in mind that nothing is absolute and consequences arise everywhere. Ken tries to unravel this philosophical picture, and John points out that one of pragmatism’s key elements is fallibilism–the idea that one can never be absolutely sure of anything and that claims must always be subject to revision. |