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Pragmatism

Also known as Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking

William James's 1907 lectures on pragmatism: an idea's truth is the practical difference it makes.

At a glance

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Why it matters

Key facts

Author
William James1
Published
1907, after his retirement from Harvard1
Sequel
The Meaning of Truth: A Sequel to "Pragmatism" (1909)1
Editions
Hackett Publishing (1981); Dover (1995)1

Key ideas

  1. The squirrel and the tree1

    Does a man circling a tree go "round" a squirrel that keeps the trunk between them? It depends on what "round" means in practice.

  2. Cash value1

    "You must bring out of each word its practical cash-value, set it at work within the stream of your experience."

  3. Truth happens to an idea1

    An idea becomes true, is made true by events, through the process of its verification.

  4. Agreement with reality1

    The sixth lecture defines truth as agreement with reality, verified by correspondence, coherence and results in practice.

Criticism

  1. Unclear consequences1

    Critics note he never specified how practical consequences are to be weighed.

  2. Relativism1

    He was accused of relativism and skepticism, and rejected the charge in favour of epistemological realism.

Connections

Written by

Sources

  1. William James (Wikipedia) (opens en.wikipedia.org)

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