Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking in Classics and the Western Canon

Dec 08, 2019 Matt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

William James’ erudite, though painfully long, volumes on The Principles of Psychology won me over when I read them. His intelligence and expansive view of the world, and our experiencing of it, was a wonderful blend of psychology and philosophy. A mixture that he serves up as “pragmatism” in Pragmatism: a New Name of Some Old Ways of Thinking.

The only thing James knows is that no one knows the answers to the philosophical and religious questions we love to bicker about. Therefore, in the absenc William James’ erudite, though painfully long, volumes on The Principles of Psychology won me over when I read them. His intelligence and expansive view of the world, and our experiencing of it, was a wonderful blend of psychology and philosophy. A mixture that he serves up as “pragmatism” in Pragmatism: a New Name of Some Old Ways of Thinking.

The only thing James knows is that no one knows the answers to the philosophical and religious questions we love to bicker about. Therefore, in the absence of real answers, how do you construct an ethic by which we satisfy our impulse to assign value while at the same time recognize scientific truths that dictate our reality? He has no desire to deprive the faithful of their comforts, but:

[i]n this real world of sweat and dirt, it seems to me that when a view of things is “noble”, that ought to count as a presumption against its truth, and as a philosophic disqualification. The prince of darkness may be a gentleman, as we are told he is, but whatever the God of earth and heaven is, he can surely be no gentleman. His menial services are needed in the dust of our human trials, even more than his dignity is needed in the empyrean. Pg. 26>

For James, our philosophic thinking must allow room to grow and learn. We are not at the apex of human understanding of the universe, our place in it, or even ourselves. Any belief that restricts the ability to move beyond our current understanding is unproductive. But that just means we need to redefine what we believe. James believes there is more than belief. As he states, “I firmly disbelieve, myself, that our human experience is the highest form of experience extant in the universe.” Pg. 107.

Growth is the underlying value in James’ pragmatism. Whereas some call for unconditional love, or truth, or observance of dictated commands, as the core of their belief, James wants to learn more. Pragmatism embraces imagination and what causes us to strive past the boundaries of where we are. Those wanting certainty and distinct boundaries obviously reject such fluid thinking. James knew this, and even in these lectures, desperately wished that his detractors would not be so quick to dismiss these thoughts as mere principles of convenience or what is most expedient. If you believe the world is not tailor-made to be understood for our luxury, then, whether it be pragmatism or a belief in the unknowability of God’s purpose, there seems little choice but to acknowledge our ignorance and try to find a way forward. The alternative is simply standing still.
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