Abstract
This episode is part two of three of the lecture series [HTA 12] on William James’s “What Pragmatism Means” [1904], in Everyman’s Selected Writings, Second [Revised] Edition [1995], with an introduction by Graham H. Bird.
Primary Source
James, William. “What Pragmatism Means.” In Selected Writings: with Introduction by G.H. Bird, xii-xliii, 3–19. Vermont/London: Everyman, 1995 [1904].
Guiding Questions
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How does the pragmatic method hinge on the functionalist account of meaning?
- The pragmatic method is to compare the world-states of adopting two contradictory beliefs. The world-state is a function of the meaning of the idea; the full meaning of the idea includes its causal consequences out in the world itself, enacted by those who hold the given belief-systems or at least are indirectly impacted by their consequences and corollaries. The pragmatic method uses meaning as function to evaluate the worth of ideas.
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How is the genetic theory of truth different from universal claims of truth?
- The genetic theory of truth offers a descriptive account of the natural, unavoidable, idiosyncratic (unique to each person) process of making sense and making meaning out of one’s experiences. This process involves new experiences which disrupt the previous stock of belief and require the participant to rethink their beliefs, categories, and various truth-systems of stabilized perception and coherence. This reciprocal fine-tuning of truth allows optimization unique to each person’s differential lived experience and embodied historicity, empowering a pluralism of survival strategies.