Some Pragmatist Themes

Some Pragmatist Themes PDF Author: David S. Clarke
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 9780739120002
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
Pragmatism is a widely misunderstood philosophical movement, with its central theses the subject of distortions. Perhaps the most serious of them is the widely held view that pragmatism is somehow antithetical to contemporary systematic philosophy, that it offers an alternative to what is labeled "analytic philosophy." In Some Pragmatist Themes, Dr. D. S. Clarke corrects this misunderstanding by demonstrating that certain general topics of controversy in recent American philosophy are derived from two central claims of classical pragmatism, the claims that cognitive inquiry must be understood relative to action and purpose, and that relations between inquiry, action, and purpose in humans have parallels in sub-human species. Clarke shows how from these claims follow distinctive pragmatist themes that engage us in compelling controversies regarding the nature of truth, the viability of reductionist projects, reference to the past, and the structure of moral reasoning. Throughout the book Clarke sustains the pragmatists' vision of philosophy as an antidote to specialization in the contemporary world, a discipline using critical reason in order to integrate factual information derived from science with moral values. Some Pragmatist Themes is a stimulating text that will appeal to those interested in contemporary philosophical issues and comparative literature.

Some Pragmatist Themes

Some Pragmatist Themes PDF Author: David S. Clarke
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 9780739120002
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 122

Get Book Here

Book Description
Pragmatism is a widely misunderstood philosophical movement, with its central theses the subject of distortions. Perhaps the most serious of them is the widely held view that pragmatism is somehow antithetical to contemporary systematic philosophy, that it offers an alternative to what is labeled "analytic philosophy." In Some Pragmatist Themes, Dr. D. S. Clarke corrects this misunderstanding by demonstrating that certain general topics of controversy in recent American philosophy are derived from two central claims of classical pragmatism, the claims that cognitive inquiry must be understood relative to action and purpose, and that relations between inquiry, action, and purpose in humans have parallels in sub-human species. Clarke shows how from these claims follow distinctive pragmatist themes that engage us in compelling controversies regarding the nature of truth, the viability of reductionist projects, reference to the past, and the structure of moral reasoning. Throughout the book Clarke sustains the pragmatists' vision of philosophy as an antidote to specialization in the contemporary world, a discipline using critical reason in order to integrate factual information derived from science with moral values. Some Pragmatist Themes is a stimulating text that will appeal to those interested in contemporary philosophical issues and comparative literature.

The Pragmatic Turn

The Pragmatic Turn PDF Author: Richard J. Bernstein
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0745659454
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 267

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Book Description
In this major new work, Richard J. Bernstein argues that many of the most important themes in philosophy during the past one hundred and fifty years are variations and developments of ideas that were prominent in the classical American pragmatists: Charles S. Peirce, William James, John Dewey and George H Mead. Pragmatism begins with a thoroughgoing critique of the Cartesianism that dominated so much of modern philosophy. The pragmatic thinkers reject a sharp dichotomy between subject and object, mind-body dualism, the quest for certainty and the spectator theory of knowledge. They seek to bring about a sea change in philosophy that highlights the social character of human experience and normative social practices, the self-correcting nature of all inquiry, and the continuity of theory and practice. And they-especially James, Dewey, and Mead-emphasize the democratic ethical-political consequences of a pragmatic orientation. Many of the themes developed by the pragmatic thinkers were also central to the work of major twentieth century philosophers like Wittgenstein and Heidegger, but the so-called analytic-continental split obscures this underlying continuity. Bernstein develops an alternative reading of contemporary philosophy that brings out the persistence and continuity of pragmatic themes. He critically examines the work of leading contemporary philosophers who have been deeply influenced by pragmatism, including Hilary Putnam, Jürgen Habermas, Richard Rorty, and Robert Brandom, and he explains why the discussion of pragmatism is so alive, varied and widespread. This lucid, wide-ranging book by one of America's leading philosophers will be compulsory reading for anyone who wants to understand the state of philosophy today.

Preludes to Pragmatism

Preludes to Pragmatism PDF Author: Philip Kitcher
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199986797
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 459

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Book Description
In these essays, distinguished philosopher Philip Kitcher argues for a reconstruction of philosophy along the lines of classical Pragmatism

Pragmatism's Advantage

Pragmatism's Advantage PDF Author: Joseph Margolis
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 0804773718
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 282

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Book Description
This book addresses the rift between major philosophical factions in the United States, which the author describes as a "philosophically becalmed" three-legged creature made up of analytic philosophy, continental philosophy, and pragmatism. Joseph Margolis offers a modified pragmatism as the best way out of this stalemate. Whether he is examining Heidegger or rethinking the foibles of Dewey, Rorty, and Peirce, much of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Western philosophy comes into play as Margolis presents his history of philosophy's evolution and defends his views. He does not, however, mean for philosophy to turn to the pragmatism of yore or even to its revival in the 1970s. Rather, he finds in recent approaches to pragmatism a middle ground between analytic philosophy's scientism (and its disinterest in analyzing human nature)and continental philosophy's reliance on attributing transcendental powers to mere mortals.

The Pragmatic Vision

The Pragmatic Vision PDF Author: Nicholas Rescher
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442227060
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
Since C. S. Pierce advocated a pragmatic approach to truth and knowledge, it has been one of the characteristic themes of American philosophy. This book examines how pragmatism's central ideas can be applied and implemented across the entire domain of philosophical deliberations, ranging from theory of knowledge and the value theory to providing explanations for human actions, and even to matters of ethics and religion. While there are various ways in which to weigh the merit of a philosophical idea or theory, this book makes the case that an assessment of that theory’s applicative utility is of the essence. The intersection of the theoretical and the practical is where meaningful philosophizing finds its legs, and Rescher’s unique pragmatically oriented analyses of traditional philosophical us to regard some historically prominent philosophical ideas in a new and revealing light.

What Pragmatism Was

What Pragmatism Was PDF Author: F. Thomas Burke
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 0253009545
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
F. Thomas Burke examines the writings of William James and Charles S. Peirce to determine how the original "maxim of pragmatism" was understood differently by these two earliest pragmatists. Burke reconciles these differences by casting pragmatism as a philosophical stance that endorses distinctive conceptions of belief and meaning. In particular, a pragmatist conception of meaning should be understood as both inferentialist and operationalist in character. Burke unravels a complex early history of this philosophical tradition, discusses contemporary conceptions of pragmatism found in current US political discourse, and explores what this quintessentially American philosophy means today.

The New Pragmatism

The New Pragmatism PDF Author: Alan Malachowski
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131749363X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 149

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Book Description
Some hundred years after its inception, Pragmatism has reclaimed centre stage, not just within philosophy, but also within intellectual culture as a whole. This book sets out to explain what it is about Pragmatism that makes it such a distinctively attractive prospect to so many thinkers, even in previously hostile traditions. Alan Malachowski sets out in a clear and accessible manner the original guiding thoughts behind the Pragmatist approach to philosophy and examines how these thoughts have faired in the hands of those largely responsible for the present revival (Putnam and Rorty). The Pragmatism that emerges from this exploration of its "classic" and "new wave" forms is then assessed in terms of both its philosophical potential and its wider cultural contribution. Readers will emerge from the book with a more secure grip on what Pragmatism involves and a correspondingly clearer grasp of what it has to offer and what its current resurgence is all about.

The New Pragmatist Sociology

The New Pragmatist Sociology PDF Author: Neil L. Gross
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231555237
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 793

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Book Description
Pragmatist thought is central to sociology. However, sociologists typically encounter pragmatism indirectly, as a philosophy of science or as an influence on canonical social scientists, rather than as a vital source of theory, research questions, and methodological reflection in sociology today. In The New Pragmatist Sociology, Neil Gross, Isaac Ariail Reed, and Christopher Winship assemble a range of sociologists to address essential ideas in the field and their historical and theoretical connection to classical pragmatism. The book examines questions of methodology, social interaction, and politics across the broad themes of inquiry, agency, and democracy. Essays engage widely and deeply with topics that motivate both pragmatist philosophy and sociology, including rationality, speech, truth, expertise, and methodological pluralism. Contributors include Natalie Aviles, Karida Brown, Daniel Cefaï, Mazen Elfakhani, Luis Flores, Daniel Huebner, Cayce C. Hughes, Paul Lichterman, John Levi Martin, Ann Mische, Vontrese D. Pamphile, Jeffrey N. Parker, Susan Sibley, Daniel Silver, Mario Small, Iddo Tavory, Stefan Timmermans, Luna White, and Joshua Whitford.

Pragmatism and Organization Studies

Pragmatism and Organization Studies PDF Author: Philippe Lorino
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198753217
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
This book aims to make the pragmatist intellectual framework accessible to organization and management scholars. It presents some fundamental concepts of Pragmatism, their potential application to the study of organizations and the resulting theoretical, methodological, and practical issues.

Pragmatism as a Way of Life

Pragmatism as a Way of Life PDF Author: Hilary Putnam
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674979222
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 312

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Book Description
Throughout his diverse and highly influential career, Hilary Putnam was famous for changing his mind. As a pragmatist he treated philosophical “positions” as experiments in deliberate living. His aim was not to fix on one position but to attempt to do justice to the depth and complexity of reality. In this new collection, he and Ruth Anna Putnam argue that key elements of the classical pragmatism of William James and John Dewey provide a framework for the most progressive and forward-looking forms of philosophy in contemporary thought. The Putnams present a compelling defense of the radical originality of the philosophical ideas of James and Dewey and their usefulness in confronting the urgent social, political, and moral problems of the twenty-first century. Pragmatism as a Way of Life brings together almost all of the Putnams’ pragmatist writings—essays they wrote as individuals and as coauthors. The pragmatism they endorse, though respectful of the sciences, is an open experience-based philosophy of our everyday lives that trenchantly criticizes the fact/value dualism running through contemporary culture. Hilary Putnam argues that all facts are dependent on cognitive values, while Ruth Anna Putnam turns the problem around, illuminating the factual basis of moral principles. Together, they offer a shared vision which, in Hilary’s words, “could serve as a manifesto for what the two of us would like philosophy to look like in the twenty-first century and beyond.”