Essay on Pragmatism

The early years of the United States once held a Christian philosophy in which laid down the foundation for the American government and social institutions. Nevertheless, American society gradually shifted from a philosophical view on the nature of reality to be absolute and unchanging, to welcoming a philosophy that recognizes the nature of reality as consistently changing and progressing. From supernaturalism to naturalism, all aspects of recent American society—especially civil-social areas—has been naturally and unequivocally affected and transformed by process philosophy.

Prior to the 1820’s, the people of the United States had been struggling to find a way to solve their sectional tensions brought on by slavery in the south. The south had always had an economy based on agriculture that could not strive without their uses of slavery. They did not plan on ending slavery anytime soon, especially since it was really all they had to support themselves. They were against establishing an industrial based economy like the north had began to do in the 1820-1830’s. The real cause of the sectional tensions between the North and the South during the 1820’s-1860’s was not slavery itself, but how it affected each society so differently, and it was very challenging to find a compromise to suit

Ideologies refer to a set of ideas and values that provides a base for organised political action. They justify and influence the different theories of society and human nature. Ideologies have a big impact on policy making, as the government of the day will base their policies around these political ideologies. The two major political parties in New Zealand, National and Labour, each have different beliefs and values which lead to different ideologies. Looking at both parties previous and current policies, we can observe the impact of the ideologies they have adopted on their policy making. The National party in the last 20 years has driven policies from a

The pragmatic theory of truth states that humans make their own truths by experience, similar to the way humans accumulate muscle and money. The pragmatic theory states that truths aren't necessarily fixed or absolute, but truths are created by humans through personal experiences. In addition, the pragmatic theory suggests that if something is useful, successful or works than it is true. Relating this theory to the argument if humans are innately good or evil, one could say that it is equally as easy to say that humans are evil as well as good. This notion is refuted because William James, a pragmatic philosopher said that "If an idea or judgment makes a positive, practical difference in people's lives than it is true.

Dr. William James, it is no secret that your theory of pragmatism has been questioned, but found more successful than Dr. E.B. Titchner’s. Why do you feel this is so?

This is, however, a perception; in a theoretical analysis it is important to make no assumptions and a wealth of definitions. We will discuss the pragmatism of this perception.

“an attempt to break down the distinction between the intrinsic and extrinsic features of things. By thinking of everything as relational through and through, pragmatists attempt to get rid of the contrast between reality and appearance” (Rorty 72).

There is no shortage of scholarly reviewed research linking Richard Rorty with the revitalization of pragmatism, or more appropriately neo-pragmatism. Pragmatism has roots in an inquiry of truth, beginning with Peirce’s inquisition into the meaning of concepts from the lens of experience; however more discourse for pragmatism in public administration is aimed at Dewey and his ability to convert concepts into a means of action and emphasis on problem solving (Hildebrand, 2005). Richard Rorty has been credited by several authors (Hildebrand, 2005; Issac, 1999; Hoch, 2006) with reviving pragmatism by engaging the opinions of classical thinkers, most notably Dewey, as relevant to the modern state. For Rorty, man has the ability to propose a

In my experience, pragmatics, is disguise as many other terms in my curriculum: tone, voice, style, historical and cultural contexts. Style is how something is said. Tone is a writer’s attitude toward a subject. Voice is a writer’s unique use of language; the way a writer chooses words, construct sentences, and expresses ideas. Historical and cultural contexts refers to the events, social problems, traditions, and values that may have influenced the author and the writing. According to Lesaux and Harris, “Pragmatics refers to an understanding of the social rules of communication (Snow and Uccelli 2009)” (Lesaux Harris, p. 17). Even though I don’t directly teach the definition of pragmatics, I feel that in my middle school curriculum pragmatics

ABSTRACT: In this article I present H. R. Maturana's work as an alternative that reinforces pragmatism in the task of thinking philosophy through the evolution of biological species. I try to demonstrate how Maturana's biology dilutes the principal argument against American Neo-pragmatism. This criticism uses the argument of performative contradiction as it has developed in the European Neo-Kantian philosophy. Thus, I begin by presenting Apel. s arguments which are contrary the perspective of the detranscendentalization of the Post-Nietzschenian philosophy. I conclude that analytical philosophy is a fecund point of contact between Maturana's biology and American Pragmatism, and

ABSTRACT: In the first chapter of Pragmatism, William James outlines two philosophical temperaments. He argues that though one's temperament modifies one's way of philosophizing, its presence is seldom recognized. This statement by James led me to Plato's Sophistes, especially the relationship between temperament and being. Although Plato describes certain temperaments, I hold that the main topic is being. The ancients restricted All to real being, e.g., the tangible or the immovable. This reading of the Sophistes puts a different face on the first chapter of Pragmatism. However, if we allow James to speak to present-day philosophers as well as his turn of the century audience, then this

There is not a day where my own life lacks social events. A basic day consists of going to work or school, completing homework, and attempting to have a social life with those who are important to me. Being able to manage my social self is a task worth reviewing using the sociological theory of Max Weber and Erving Goffman. Each decision made to manage my life pulls from Weber’s theory of action and rationality; moreover, each situation requires a bit of face by Goffman’s dramaturgy.

Politics and Progress: The Emergence of American Political Science by Dennis Mahoney is an account of the origins of contemporary political science in the Progressive Movement. In the book, Mahoney, attempts to show how American political science came to be due to the influence of three different factors. The first factor is German Historicism and its allgemeine Staatslehre, or general State theory. The second factor is philosophical pragmatism and the final factor is political Progressivism. Mahoney also writes about how the new American political science has turned away from political philosophy and the laws of nature described by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The pragmatist view of truth, as written by William James in “Truth is Established on Pragmatic Grounds,” is the view that the best way to define truth is in terms of beliefs that work. In other words, truth becomes a human manifestation of individual beliefs, where people believe what is better to believe, so long as it doesn’t clash with another “vital benefit” (Mulvaney, 297). I will argue that the pragmatist’s interpretation of the truth allows for confirmation bias to take hold, and subsequently leads to a manipulation of truth where individuals pick and choose the most beneficial ideas over evidence.

The study will examine the concept of interpretivism, positivism phenomenology and pragmatism. I will try to compare, contrast and critique them into different philosophy to develop of knowledge and the nature of that knowledge