I've never understood - How can you turn something as simple as my own experience of the world into something so complicated and convoluted. Whenever I start to read something about phenomenology I say "No! No! How does it feel?" — T Clark
I don't have a problem with this since I am not a philosopher, but I wonder if it counts as philosophy. When you think about the impressive jargon and thought games inherent in phenomenology - all that Epoché and lifeworld hermeneutics, this seems somewhat lacking in depth... or pretention.. — Tom Storm
From here, I can't tell if those were good decisions or not. They certainly aren't ones where you have to act quickly on the spur of the moment. There's time for you to ruminate and try to think about the consequences. — T Clark
My issue was if you were suggesting that being 'Pragmatic' was the top priority... I think you have given pragmatism too high a priority — universeness
I call myself a pragmatist because the decisions I agree with are almost always pragmatic. I was pragmatic before I was a pragmatist. It's not a question of priority, it's how I see the world. Right action is what solves the problem at hand honorably, quickest, and with the fewest negative consequences. — T Clark
I don't disagree with everything said in this thread, but I feel that I start losing the track of what it means to be pragmatic vs not pragmatic. Could you give some examples of non-pragmatic behaviors or philosophies? It seems like it's the human nature to act pragmatically. Even the people who subscribe to seemingly nonsense philosophies have their reason to do so, and such people act pragmatically in their own ways. — pfirefry
This thread has not been about pragmatic behavior, it's about pragmatic approaches to knowledge — T Clark
.This thread has not been about pragmatic behavior, it's about pragmatic approaches to knowledge. As I noted, in pragmatism "the primary value of truth and knowledge is for use in decision making to help identify, plan, and implement needed human action." — T Clark
Seems to me that for something to be useful there needs to be some element of truth. Have you provided an example where a falsehood was useful?This thread has not been about pragmatic behavior, it's about pragmatic approaches to knowledge. As I noted, in pragmatism "the primary value of truth and knowledge is for use in decision making to help identify, plan, and implement needed human action." — T Clark
I don't have a problem with this since I am not a philosopher, but I wonder if it counts as philosophy. When you think about the impressive jargon and thought games inherent in, for instance, phenomenology - all that Epoché and lifeworld hermeneutics, this seems somewhat lacking in depth... or pretention... — Tom Storm
You are suggesting that using pragmatism as an epistemology ("pragmatic approach to knowledge") is the only way to travel. — universeness
Catching a child before its head smashes against a coffee table is instinctive.
It was an action and it saved the child, which is good, and there was no pragmatism involved. — universeness
'It was my intuition that told me you were cheating on me. I had no evidence but it turned out to be true.'
Again an intuitive assumption resulted in new correct knowledge obtained but the new accurate knowledge was not based on a pragmatic epistemology.
You are putting too much space between knowledge and behavior or cause and effect.
Instinct and intuition are valid methods to use to gain new knowledge and so is pragmatism.
It may well be true that pragmatism will be a more fruitful approach compared to instinct or intuition but this does not mean it is wise to ignore your instincts or intuition on every occasion and wait for your pragmatism to kick in. — universeness
Seems to me that for something to be useful there needs to be some element of truth. Have you provided an example where a falsehood was useful? — Harry Hindu
As a pragmatist, I assert that no philosophical position is meaningful unless it has concrete implications for phenomena present in the everyday world, life, and experience of normal human beings. As a pragmatic epistemologist I assert that the primary value of truth and knowledge is for use in decision making to help identify, plan, and implement needed human action. Philosophy that does not meet this standard is not useful. — T Clark
I never said that. — T Clark
I never said intuition is not a valid mechanism for gaining knowledge. What does that have to do with pragmatism? — T Clark
doesn't epistemological pragmatism devolve to an infinite regression that can only be brought to an end by asserting something is true? — karl stone
Well perhaps not 'only' but you imply that your opinion is that its the 'best' way to travel. — universeness
Well, if you are agreeing that instinctive actions and intuitive actions are valid methods of gaining knowledge and pragmatic actions are another valid method then are you merely saying that of the three, in your opinion, pragmatic actions produce 'more valuable' knowledge? — universeness
Beliefs are considered to be true if and only if they are useful and can be practically applied. At one point in his works, James states, “. . . the ultimate test for us of what a truth means is the conduct it dictates or inspires.”
So, I guess the answer is yes, truth is needed, but truth is defined differently in pragmatism. — T Clark
Pragmatism and intuition are not in the same category. Intuition is a source of information just like observation or deduction. Pragmatism doesn't care where the information comes from. It's how we handle that information that matters — T Clark
Catching a child before its head smashes against a coffee table is instinctive.
It was an action and it saved the child, which is good, and there was no pragmatism involved.
— universeness
There was no philosophy of any kind involved. What's your point? — T Clark
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.