5 representatives of philosophical PRAGMATISM

In this lesson from a TEACHER we talk about the main representatives of philosophical pragmatism, a current that affirms that philosophical and scientific knowledge can only be considered true in terms of its practical consequences, truth being the main instrument of knowledge. This was born at the end of XIX century, having its maximum diffusion in the United States and England and whose main representatives were Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), William James (1842-1910), John Dewey (1859-1952), Chauncey wright (1830-1875) or George Herbert Mead (1863-1931), among others. If you want to know more about the main representatives of philosophical pragmatism, He keeps reading this article because in a PROFESSOR we explain it to you.

The pragmatism was born around 1870 by the hand of Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914), in United States. This is defined as the philosophical current that establishes that philosophical and scientific knowledge can only be considered true based on its practical consequences. Hence, it is stated that theory is always obtained through practice (= intelligent practice) and that the only valid knowledge is that which has a

practical utility.

In addition, it is characterized by:

• States that that which has a practical value is true and the true is reduced to the useful. Therefore, the value of things is defined depending on their consequences and according to the success they have in practice = utility.
• For this current the function of The philosophy is to generate or create knowledge practical and useful.
• States that the truth It is the instrument of knowledge and thought is valid when it is useful for our ways of life and needs.
• He maintains that the investigation It must be communal and self-critical, which must be aimed at replacing doubts, invite progress to be made through an experimental / empirical method and which must be destined to solve problems.
• Maintains that experience is he process by which the individual reaches the information.

Within this current, the following stand out as main representatives:

Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914)

This American philosopher is considered the father of semiotics (theory of signs) and founder of pragmatism. For him, pragmatism is a method whose main function is to resolve conceptual confusion by relating meaning of a concept whatsoever with a concept of the conceivable practical consequences of the effects of the thing conceived as such. Thus, for Peirce, the meaning of a concept is general and this concept does not consist of individual results but of the general concept of results. In other words that knowledge is found in that which has practical value and which is useful for our ways of life.

“Consider what effects, which could conceivably have practical repercussions, we conceive the object of our conception to have. So our conception of these effects is the totality of our conception of the object.”

All his thoughts were reflected in various research articles and in two books: Photometric Researches (1878) and Studies in Logic (1883).

William James (1842-1910)

James is the founder of functional psychology and one of the greatest diffusers / representatives of pragmatism. Thus, the main contributions of him are found in his work Pragmatism: A Method for Some Ancient Ways of Thinking (1907). In it, he establishes that pragmatism is a method whose objective is to alleviate metaphysical debates, since it seeks to understand and interpret things based on their practical consequences. In addition, William James, is in charge of defining the truth as one of the basic principles of pragmatism and establishes that ideas are not fixed or immovable, they evolve and are subject to change, therefore, he denies the absolute truths.

John Dewey (1859-1952)

Within pragmatism, the contributions of this pedagogue and philosopher also stand out. In this way, it is especially important to theory of knowledge or his idea that the experience is the process by which the individual reaches the information and the one that gives us the necessary material for us to generate knowledge, always through interaction and experimentation (instrumentalism).

“The experience occurs continuously because the interaction of the living creature and the conditions that surround it is involved in the very process of life. In conditions of resistance and conflict, we determine aspects of the self and the world involved in this interaction requalify the experience with emotions and ideas. "

On the other hand, Dewey also affirms that the diversity of perspectives and traditions are evident and that, therefore, they must be respected and approached from the perspective of dialogue and democracy.

Chauncey Wright (1830-1875)

Chauncey Wright also stands out in American philosophical pragmatism. Specifically, within this current, his main contribution resides in his defense that experience is the necessary tool to obtain knowledge, from darwinism (one of the influences of pragmatism) and antifundamentalism. He thus denies the search for an absolute truth, as well as those doctrines that are based on absolute certainty, whether of a religious or secular nature.

George Herbert Mead (1861-1931)

Herbert Mead, like the rest of the representatives of pragmatism, is highly influenced by the theses of Darwin and defends truth and experience as basic pillars. However, this sociologist emphasized the idea of human being as a social being (the self arises through a social process by which each one assumes her role in the group), from experimentation as the key to building our thinking and making us a active agent and the application of a empirical scientific method and experimental to resolve epistemological problems or concerns.