The Origin of Pragmatism in William James
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy
European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy VI-2 | 2014 Language or Experience Peirce Studies in China in the 21th Century Yi Jiang and Binmin Zhong Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/ejpap/1062 DOI: 10.4000/ejpap.1062 ISSN: 2036-4091 Publisher Associazione Pragma Electronic reference Yi Jiang and Binmin Zhong, « Peirce Studies in China in the 21th Century », European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy [Online], VI-2 | 2014, Online since 24 December 2014, connection on 01 May 2019. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ejpap/1062 ; DOI : 10.4000/ejpap.1062 This text was automatically generated on 1 May 2019. Author retains copyright and grants the European Journal of Pragmatism and American Philosophy right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Peirce Studies in China in the 21th Century 1 Peirce Studies in China in the 21th Century Yi Jiang and Binmin Zhong AUTHOR'S NOTE This essay completes the symposium on “The Reception of Peirce in the World” appeared in the last issue of EJPAP, 6, 1. 1 Peirce is more and more recognized in Chinese academic circles as an encyclopedic philosopher. The study of Peirce in China over the past 60 years can be roughly divided into four periods: the obscure period (1950-80), the starting period (1981-91), the expanding period (1992-2002), and the deepening period (2003-13). During the obscure period (1950-80), the understanding of Peirce was very shallow, mainly because of a narrow political view that led to unjust criticisms of his philosophy. -
Western Philosophy Rev
Designed by John Cornet, Phoenix HS (Ore) Western Philosophy rev. September 2012 The very process of philosophy has been a driving force in the tranformation of the world. From the figure who dwells upon how to achieve power, to the minister who contemplates the paradox of the only truth (their faith) yet which is also stagnent, to the astronomers who are searching the stars for signs of other civilizations, to the revolutionaries who sought to construct a national government which would protect the rights of the minority, the very exercise of philosophy and philosophical thought is at a core of human nature. Philosophy addresses what are sometimes called the "big questions." These include questions of morality and ethics, ideology/faith,, politics, the truth of knowledge, the nature of reality, and the meaning of human existance (...just to name a few!) (Religion addresses some of the same questions, but while philosophy and religion overlap in some questions, they can and do differ significantly in the approach they take to answering them.) Subject Learning Outcomes Skills-Based Learning Outcomes Behavioral Expectations and Grading Policy Develop an appreciation for and enjoyment of Organize, maintain and learn how to study from a learning, particularly in how learning should subject-specific notebook Attendance, participation and cause us to question what we think we know Be able to demonstrate how to take notes (including being prepared are daily and have a willingness to entertain new utilizing two-column format) expectations perspectives on issues. Be able to engage in meaningful, substantive discussion A classroom culture of respect and Students will develop familiarity with major with others. -
HUMANISM Religious Practices
HUMANISM Religious Practices . Required Daily Observances . Required Weekly Observances . Required Occasional Observances/Holy Days Religious Items . Personal Religious Items . Congregate Religious Items . Searches Requirements for Membership . Requirements (Includes Rites of Conversion) . Total Membership Medical Prohibitions Dietary Standards Burial Rituals . Death . Autopsies . Mourning Practices Sacred Writings Organizational Structure . Headquarters Location . Contact Office/Person History Theology 1 Religious Practices Required Daily Observance No required daily observances. Required Weekly Observance No required weekly observances, but many Humanists find fulfillment in congregating with other Humanists on a weekly basis (especially those who characterize themselves as Religious Humanists) or other regular basis for social and intellectual engagement, discussions, book talks, lectures, and similar activities. Required Occasional Observances No required occasional observances, but some Humanists (especially those who characterize themselves as Religious Humanists) celebrate life-cycle events with baby naming, coming of age, and marriage ceremonies as well as memorial services. Even though there are no required observances, there are several days throughout the calendar year that many Humanists consider holidays. They include (but are not limited to) the following: February 12. Darwin Day: This marks the birthday of Charles Darwin, whose research and findings in the field of biology, particularly his theory of evolution by natural selection, represent a breakthrough in human knowledge that Humanists celebrate. First Thursday in May. National Day of Reason: This day acknowledges the importance of reason, as opposed to blind faith, as the best method for determining valid conclusions. June 21 - Summer Solstice. This day is also known as World Humanist Day and is a celebration of the longest day of the year. -
The Star of the Age of Reason. Voltaire 1694-1778
Camilla Kolstad Danielsen The Star of The Age of Reason. Voltaire 1694-1778 During the 18th century, the French writers, philosophers and scientists were determined to improve the world through reason. Voltaire was the most famous of them all. No other writer was as frequently read and discussed. He was successful with his tragedies and poetry, he disseminated Newton’s philosophy to Europe and he was engaged in individual fates. For us, Voltaire is a symbolic figure, a socially engaged 2013 intellectual writer who fought for freedom of speech and other human rights. Such a Original title: Opplysningens stjerne. Voltaire notion is tinted by our modern viewpoint. But the important position Voltaire NORLA Selection acquired in his time was a result of the independent manner with which he handled his role as writer. FOREIGN RIGHTS This book provides an insight into Voltaire’s extensive and comprehensive authorship HAGEN AGENCY by Eirin Hagen within fiction, history, philosophy and various socially engaged essays. We meet Lindemans gate 3 D Voltaire as both controversial and moderate, radical and conservative, a contentious NO-0267 Oslo Tel: +47 22 46 52 54 man who won many battles, but far from all, and he did his best to fashion his star Mob: +47 93 41 10 56 status within his contemporaries and for future generations. [email protected] www.hagenagency.no English sample translation available Humanist Forlag 2014 231 Pages Praise: “This is a great book, scholastically solid and an exemplary dissemination of research. It is captivating and funny, and at the same time so convincing that I don’t think I have ever read anything better about Voltaire” Ellen Krefting, associate professor at the University of Oslo Camilla Kolstad Danielsen Camilla Kolstad Danielsenhas written articles on the French enlightenment and her PhD thesis about Voltaire’s philosophical narratives, potpourri, as a genre practice in Voltaire’s later philosophical works (2006). -
ETHICS and the SCEPTICAL CHALLENGE: a PRAGMATICIST APPROACH Ética E O Desafio Cético: Uma Abordagem Pragmaticista
ETHICS AND THE SCEPTICAL CHALLENGE: A PRAGMATICIST APPROACH Ética e o Desafio Cético: Uma Abordagem Pragmaticista Claudine Tiercelin Senior member of the Institut Universitaire de France Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris XII – France Visiting Professor at Fordham University (New York) – USA [email protected] Abstract: The aim of the paper is to present the specific reasons why a Peircian or pragmaticist approach is best “equipped” not so much as compared with other pragmatist attempts, but as such, to answer some of the hardest challenges posed by contemporary scepticism, even when it comes to the ethical aspects posed by such a challenge. After sketching the major aspects of the sceptical challenge and the most common contemporary answers it gave rise to, an analysis is made of the reasons why the ethical aspect of the challenge is specifically acute, and why, then, in many ways, a pragmaticist approach is not fundamentally different from other pragmatist approaches (in particular Peirce’s and James’); although finally, some arguments are presented in favour of a more straightforwardly Peircian or pragmaticist attitude as being the most efficient parry to the sceptical challenge, along the following lines: 1) a better account of the distinction to be made between ethical and epistemic justification, 2) a more detailed analysis of the mechanisms of doubt, belief, self-control, reasoning and of the emergence and rationality of norms; 3) a more com- plete account of the epistemological and metaphysical aspects of the sceptical challenge which, for a pragmatist, should not be disconnected from the ethical aspects. Key-words: Epistemic justification. -
Nineteenth Century Cracks in the Concept of Determinism
!"#$%$$#%&'($#%)*+'(*,-./'"#'%&$'(0#-$1%'02'3$%$*4"#"/4 5)%&0*6/78'9,#':,-."#; <$="$>$?'>0*.6/78 @0)*-$8'A0)*#,B'02'%&$':"/%0*+'02'9?$,/C'D0BE'FFC'!0E'G'6A)BE'H'@$1EC'IJKG7C'11E'FLLHFML N)OB"/&$?'O+8'University of Pennsylvania Press @%,OB$'P<Q8'http://www.jstor.org/stable/2709176 . 5--$//$?8'IIRIIRSTII'IK8TT Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. University of Pennsylvania Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of the History of Ideas. http://www.jstor.org NINETEENTH CENTURY CRACKS IN THE CONCEPT OF DETERMINISM BY IAN HACKING Deterministe: Nom d'une secte peu connue en Allemagne et qui y a peu d'influence. Determinisme: Systeme, principes, doctrine des deterministes.1 Duringthe nineteenth century we witness an event that I call the erosion of determinism. At the start of the period we read Laplace, confident that all the world is ruled with the same exact necessity as is found in celestial mechanics. At the end we find C.S. Peirce (1839-1914) asserting there is no ground for believing either such a doctrine of necessity or for holding that the laws of natureare rightly represented by precise numerical constants. -
PRAGMATISM and ITS IMPLICATIONS: Pragmatism Is A
PRAGMATISM AND ITS IMPLICATIONS: Pragmatism is a philosophy that has had its chief development in the United States, and it bears many of the characteristics of life on the American continent.. It is connected chiefly with the names of William James (1842-1910) and John Dewey. It has appeared under various names, the most prominent being pragmatism, instrumentalism, and experimentalism. While it has had its main development in America, similar ideas have been set forth in England by Arthur Balfour and by F. C. S. Schiller, and in Germany by Hans Vaihingen. WHAT PRAGMATISM IS Pragmatism is an attitude, a method, and a philosophy which places emphasis upon the practical and the useful or upon that which has satisfactory consequences. The term pragmatism comes from a Greek word pragma, meaning "a thing done," a fact, that which is practical or matter-of-fact. Pragmatism uses the practical consequences of ideas and beliefs as a standard for determining their value and truth. William James defined pragmatism as "the attitude of looking away from first things, principles, 'categories,' supposed necessities; and of looking towards last things, fruits, consequences, facts." Pragmatism places greater emphasis upon method and attitude than upon a system of philosophical doctrine. It is the method of experimental inquiry carried into all realms of human experience. Pragmatism is the modern scientific method taken as the basis of a philosophy. Its affinity is with the biological and social sciences, however, rather than with the mathematical and physical sciences. The pragmatists are critical of the systems of philosophy as set forth in the past. -
Leibniz's Monads Vis-À-Vis the Immortality of the Soul
LEIBNIZ’S MONADS VIS-À-VIS THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL: A COMPARATIVE APPROACH George Franklin Umeh* Abstract Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz published little during his lifetime, and his philosophical masterpiece, Monadology is such a triumph of succinct expression that, to fully interpret it, one must look at many other works and to his correspondence, in order to know the detailed arguments which underlie its conclusions. Leibniz raised a problem in his attempt to compare his monads with the human soul, sharing the same features of immortality. Philosophers are divided in this idea, while some refute it as illogical, some still accept it though with a pinch of salt, saying that he is not the originator of the idea. However, I salute his courage for taken such a bold step in making this delicate comparison of the monads and souls’ immortality. It is also worthy of note that more philosophers have written on the immortality of the soul but the most classical of them all is that of Thomas Aquinas. The importance of this work is to help us understand the deep relationship between the monads and the human souls. To achieve this, the method of comparative analysis of the ideas is going to be used, giving it an interpretation to discover the strength of Leibniz’s argument and his flaws. Solution to the flaws will be proffered. Keywords: Monads, Soul, Immortality, Substance Introduction Interpretation of Leibniz is made doubly difficult by the fact that he changed his mind about certain of his most influential ideas during the course of his lifetime, while remaining obstinately attached to them and unable overtly to reject them. -
Pragmatic Theory of Truth” by William James
“Pragmatic Theory of Truth” by William James William James, NIH About the author. William James (1842-1910) is perhaps the most widely known of the founders of pragmatism. Historically, his Principles of Psychology was the first unification of psychology as a philosophical science. As a teacher of philosophy, he was a colleague of both Josiah Royce and George Santayana. Once Royce was asked to substitute teach for James in James’ Harvard philosophy class which, at the time, happened to be studying Royce’s text. Supposedly, as Royce picked up James’ copy of his text in the lecture hall, he hesitated briefly, and then noted to the class that James had written in the margin of the day’s reading, “ Damn fool!” About the work. In his Pragmatism,1 William James characterizes truth in terms of usefulness and acceptance. In general, on his view, truth is found by attending to the practical consequences of ideas. To say that truth is mere agreement of ideas with matters of fact, according to James, is incomplete, and to say that truth is captured by coherence is not to dis- tinguish it from a consistent falsity. In a genuine sense, James believes we construct truth in the process of successful living in the world: truth is in 1. William James. Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking. New York: Longman Green and Co., 1907. 1 “Pragmatic Theory of Truth” by William James no sense absolute. Beliefs are considered to be true if and only if they are useful and can be practically applied. -
Monadology a New Translation and Guide
Leibniz’s Monadology A New Translation and Guide Lloyd Strickland Leibniz’s Monadology A New Translation and Guide LLOYD STRICKLAND For Dan Cook and Vernon Pratt, for all of the help and support over the years: thank you © Lloyd Strickland, 2014 Edinburgh University Press Ltd The Tun - Holyrood Road, 12(2f) Jackson’s Entry, Edinburgh EH8 8PJ www.euppublishing.com Typeset in 11/13pt Ehrhardt MT Pro by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Stockport, Cheshire and printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 7486 9321 4 (hardback) ISBN 978 0 7486 9323 8 (webready PDF) ISBN 978 0 7486 9322 1 (paperback) ISBN 978 0 7486 9324 5 (epub) The right of Lloyd Strickland to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, and the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003 (SI No. 2498). Contents Acknowledgements iv Key vi Abbreviations vii Introduction 1 About the Text and Translation 13 The Monadology 14 The Structure of the Monadology 34 The Monadology: Text with Running Commentary 39 Appendix 162 1. Theodicy 162 2. The Principles of Nature and Grace, Founded on Reason 270 3. Leibniz to Nicole Remond: Appendix on Monads 278 Glossary of Terms 280 Questions for Further Study 283 Further Reading 285 Index 292 Acknowledgements I would like to extend my warmest thanks to an anonymous reviewer for Edinburgh University Press for feedback on the entire manuscript. Parts of the commentary were incorporated into a talk given to members of the Oxford Philosophical Society in November 2013. -
The Philosophy of William James As Related to Charles Renouvier, Henri Bergson, Maurice Blondel and Emile Boutroux
Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 1987 The philosophy of William James as related to Charles Renouvier, Henri Bergson, Maurice Blondel and Emile Boutroux Peggy Lyne Hurtado Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Intellectual History Commons, and the Philosophy Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Hurtado, Peggy Lyne, "The philosophy of William James as related to Charles Renouvier, Henri Bergson, Maurice Blondel and Emile Boutroux" (1987). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3713. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.5597 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. ---- l I AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Peggy Lyne Hurtado for the Master of Arts in History presented June 10, 1987. Title: The Philosophy of William James as Related to Charles Renouvier, Henri Bergson, Maurice Blondel and Emile Boutroux. APPROVED BY MEMBERS OF THE THESIS COMMITTEE: Michael F. Reard~n, Chairman Guin~ David Joh This thesis argues two issues: William James' philosophy was-to a great extent derived from his interaction with the French philosophers, Charles Renouvier, Henri Bergson, Maurice Blondel and Emile Boutroux. Correlative to the fact that these five figures have an intellectual 2 relationship with one another, I also argue that in order to understand James, he must be placed within the context of these relations. -
Bordoni for MPIWG 2014 Ann Corr
MAX-PLANCK-INSTITUT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTSGESCHICHTE Max Planck Institute for the History of Science 2014 PREPRINT 460 Stefano Bordoni Unexpected Convergence between Science and Philosophy: A debate on determinism in France around 1880 Unexpected Convergence between Science and Philosophy: A debate on determinism in France around 1880 STEFANO BORDONI1 ABSTRACT. In 1878 the mathematician Joseph Boussinesq pointed out a structural analogy between some features of living beings and singular solutions of differential equations. Sudden transitions between ordinary and singular solutions could represent sudden release of energy in biological process and in the fulfilment of free will. He assumed that a guiding principle rather than a physical action might lead the system beyond the threshold of singular points. Deterministic processes, which corresponded to ordinary solutions, gave way to indeterministic processes, which corresponded to singular solutions. Alongside the mathematical pathway, a different conceptual stream had already emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century. Both physicists and physiologists made use of concepts like triggering actions and guiding principles in order to represent explosions and unstable equilibrium in inanimate matter, and the complex interaction between volitions and motions in human beings. A third conceptual stream was represented by philosophical debates on the problematic link between deterministic physical laws and free will. The new issues stemming from the fields of mathematics, physics, and life sciences found room in philosophical journals, but the interest of philosophers gradually faded away towards the late 1880s. At the same time, the majority of mathematicians and physicists had never shown a systematic interest in this subject matter. We find in Boussinesq an original and almost isolated attempt to merge mathematical, physical, biological issues into a consistent philosophical framework.