Overview
The lecture covers key concepts in American pragmatism, focusing on William James and John Dewey, examining their views on experience, knowledge, value, education, and religion.
American Pragmatism & William James
- Pragmatism values concrete experience over abstract theorizing and rejects foundationalism (the search for absolute starting points in knowledge).
- William James uses the "pragmatic theory of meaning," defining meaningful statements as those with practical consequences.
- James avoids metaphysical debates without empirical consequences, focusing on what impacts experience.
- In "The Will to Believe," James argues that sometimes belief is justified by personal or psychological benefit, not just evidence.
- James emphasizes the influence of personality and psychology on philosophical beliefs.
- Radical empiricism is James’s label for his focus on experience and practical effects as the standard for meaning and truth.
John Dewey: Evolutionary Naturalism & Key Concepts
- Dewey represents pragmatism and "evolutionary naturalism," explaining all phenomena in terms of physical and biological processes.
- Influenced by Darwin, Dewey rejects fixed essences or universals, seeing everything as in process and subject to change.
- Dewey's concept of "experience" is broad, including psychological, social, and cultural elements, not just sensory data.
- "Fluid experience" refers to habitual, continuous activity interrupted by "problem situations" requiring conscious thought.
- Intelligence (thought) is problem-solving that emerges when routine is disrupted.
- Dewey’s "functionalist psychology" sees mental processes as biological functions for adaptation.
- Naturalized epistemology: describes how inquiry actually works in practice, not prescribing rules in the abstract.
Dewey on Science, Logic, and Knowledge
- Dewey adopts "operationalism": scientific concepts are defined by the operations used to measure them.
- Theories are useful tools ("instrumentalism"), not necessarily descriptions of ultimate reality.
- Knowledge is for solving problems, not for reflecting objective, unchanging truths.
- Truth is what works in practice; it is verified by successful application in solving problems.
- Rejects traditional subject-object dualism and pure spectator empiricism in favor of active engagement.
Dewey on Values, Ethics, Education, and Religion
- Values are created in response to needs in problem situations, not eternal goods.
- There are no fixed ends, only ongoing means-ends processes; no absolute moral rules.
- Ethics is instrumentalist: moral judgments are tools for achieving desired outcomes in specific situations ("situation ethics").
- Education should prepare students for practical living and problem solving, not just transmit fixed knowledge or values.
- Religion, for Dewey, is an attitude of loyalty to community ideals, not belief in supernatural truths.
- "God" symbolizes community ideals rather than a supernatural being; Dewey's view aligns with religious humanism.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Pragmatic Theory of Meaning — Meaning is defined by practical consequences in experience.
- Radical Empiricism — Only experiences and their relations are meaningful; metaphysics without practical effects is dismissed.
- Evolutionary Naturalism — All reality, including mind and values, evolves through natural processes.
- Fluid Experience — Habitual, ongoing activity interrupted by problems requiring thought.
- Functionalist Psychology — Mental processes are biological functions for adaptation.
- Operationalism — Scientific concepts are defined by empirical operations.
- Instrumentalism — Theories are tools for solving problems, not mirrors of reality.
- Naturalized Epistemology — Epistemology based on the actual process of inquiry, not abstract rules.
- Situation Ethics — Ethics based on the specifics of each situation, not universal rules.
- Religious Humanism — Religion as commitment to human ideals and community, not supernatural belief.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Read John Dewey's "Reconstruction in Philosophy" (especially chapters referenced in the lecture).
- Review Dewey’s "Democracy and Education" and "A Common Faith" for application of his theories.
- Pick up and read the Humanist Manifesto provided at the lecture.