🤖🔁PRAGMATISM

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Lecture I Current Dilemmas in Philosophy

Everyone has a philosophy. Temperament is a factor in philosophy; there are rationalists and empiricists, the tender-hearted and the strong-minded. Many seek both facts and religion, but empiricism offers facts without religion and rationalism offers religion without facts. Pragmatism is proposed as a system to reconcile these.

Lecture II: The Meaning of Pragmatism

Pragmatism is a methodology and contrasts with rationalism and intellectualism. As a theory of truth, it corresponds to "humanism" and takes into account old and new truths. Pragmatism mediates between empiricism and religion.

Lecture III: Pragmatic Considerations of Metaphysical Problems

Pragmatics examines issues such as substance, materialism, and free will. The pragmatic question in these issues is what does the alternative promise?

Lecture IV One and Many

Philosophy seeks wholeness as well as unity. Pragmatically, the world is one in many ways. It should oppose monistic dogmatism and follow empirical findings.

Lecture V Pragmatism and Common Sense

Knowledge grows and initial ideas remain. Common sense is one stage of mental evolution, and it is impossible to say which is more "true."

Lecture VI: Pragmatism's View of Truth

Truth is congruence with reality, meaning verifiability. Truth is good, convenient thought. Truth grows.

Lecture VII Pragmatism and Humanism

There are three kinds of reality that the new truth must take into account. Human contributions are everywhere and make up what is given.

Lecture VIII Pragmatism and Religion

Consider the usefulness of absolutes, and pragmatism is meritorious. We can create reality. There are "gentle" and "harsh" types of religion, and pragmatism mediates.

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🤖🔁PRAGMATISM

A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking

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.

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.

Lecture I Current Dilemmas in Philosophy

To quote Chesterton. Everyone has a philosophy. Temperament is a factor in all philosophies. Rationalists and empiricists. The tender-hearted and the strong-minded. Most people want both facts and religion. Empiricism gives facts without religion. Rationalism gives religion without facts.

The layman's dilemma. Impracticality in Rationalistic Systems. Leibniz on the damned, as an example; M. I. Swift on idealist optimism.

Pragmatism as a mediating system. Objection. RESPONSE: Philosophy has a human-like character and tends to be like a summative judgment. Take Spencer as an example.

Lecture II: What Pragmatism Means

Lis Pragmatism as a method History of the method. Its character and affinities Contrast with rationalism and intellectualism Corridor theory". Pragmatism as a theory of truth, equivalent to "humanism". An early view of mathematical, logical, and natural truth. Newer views. The "instrumental" view of Schiller and Dewey. Formation of new beliefs Old truths must always be taken into account. Old truths arose as well. The "humanistic" doctrine.

Rationalist critique of it. Pragmatism as a mediator between empiricism and religion. The sterility of transcendental idealism. To what extent must the concept of the Absolute be called truth? Truth is good.

To hold to beliefs A clash of truths. Pragmatism does not rigidify arguments.

Lecture III: Pragmatic Considerations of Metaphysical Problems

The Problem of Substance. The Eucharist Barclay's Pragmatic Treatment of Material Substance. Locke's problem of personal identity The problem of materialism. Rationalist treatment of it. Pragmatic treatment God" is inferior to "matter" as a principle, but not superior to it unless it promises something more A pragmatic comparison of the two principles. A matter of design. Design" in itself is sterile. The question is what kind of design. The issue of "free will. Its relation to "accountability. Cosmological free will. The pragmatic question at issue in all these issues is what does the alternative promise?

Lecture IV One and Many

Holistic Considerations. Philosophy seeks wholeness as well as unity. Rationalistic sense of unity. Pragmatically, the world is one in many ways. Time and space are one. The object of discourse is one. Its parts interact. Its unity and plurality are cooperative. The question of one origin. General unity. One purpose. One story. One intellectual. The value of the pragmatic method. Absolute monism. Vivekananda. Discussing the various types of union. Conclusion. We must oppose monistic dogmatism and follow empirical findings.

Lecture V Pragmatism and Common Sense

Poetic Pluralism. How does our knowledge grow? Early ideas remain. Our prehistoric ancestors discovered common sense concepts. A list of them. They gradually came into use. Space and time. 'Things. Kinds.' Causes' and 'laws'. Common sense is one stage of mental evolution by genius. The 'critical' stage: 1) scientific, 2) philosophical, compared to common sense. Cannot say which is more 'true'.

Lecture VI: Pragmatism's View of Truth

Extreme Situations. What does it mean to be consistent with reality? It means verifiability. Verifiability means the ability to guide us richly through experience. There is little need for completed verification. The "eternal" truth. Language, consistency with past truths. Rationalist Response Truth, like health, wealth, etc., is a good. It is a convenient thought. It is past. Truth grows. Rationalist objections. Answer them.

Lecture VII Pragmatism and Humanism

Schiller on "The Concept of Truth: Humanism. Three kinds of reality that the new truth must take into account. The term "take into account" is ambiguous. Completely independent reality is hard to find. Human contributions are everywhere and make up what is given. The nature of pragmatism's contrast with rationalism. Rationalism affirms a supra-empirical world. Its motivation. A strong spirit rejects them. The real alternative. Pragmatism mediates.

Lecture VIII Pragmatism and Religion

The usefulness of absolutes Whitman's poem "To You". Two ways to take it A friend's letter Necessity versus possibility Definition of "possibility" Three views on the salvation of the world. Pragmatism is a merriment. We can create reality. Why must something exist? Assumed choices before creation. Healthy and morbid responses. The "gentle" and "harsh" types of religion. The mediation of pragmatism.

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