Pragmatism: A Philosophy for Everyone | William James Pragmatism Lectures 1 & 2

Pragmatism is a philosophy that combines a pragmatic method with a genetic theory of truth. William James gave a series of 8 lectures explaining his version of this philosophy. He starts be noticing a dilemma in philosophy between the tender-minded and the tough-minded. The tender-minded philosophers were rationalist, religious, dogmatic, and abstract, while the tough-minded philosophers were empiricists, irreligious, skeptical, and materialists. James believes that pragmatism can offer a compromise between these two groups.
Pragmatism, to James, consists of a methodology and a theory of truth. The methodology of pragmatism focuses on the practical consequences an idea might cause if it were to be believed or not. This method moves away from abstractions and instead towards actual real world effects. James’ theory of truth sees truth as a mediator between the opinions we already hold and any new facts/arguments that we encounter in the world. Truth can therefore evolve and progress with new facts and arguments influencing our old opinions. #philosophy #williamjames #pragmatism

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