BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes
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Meaning and Definition of Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a school of western philosophy that considers only the practical aspects of man. The word ‘pragmatism’ has been derived from the Greek words “pragma’ or ‘pragmatics’ which means practicability or activity. Because this philosophy considers only the practical aspect of man and considers the universe as the outcome of activities, it is called pragmatism.
The first glimpse of pragmatistic thought in the western world is found in the thought of Heraclites. He described the world as changeable and said that all real objects are changeable, there can be nothing eternal. The Sophists also displayed pragmatism in their ideology. They considered man as the norm of all objects and considered that nothing exists initially, everything keeps making by activity. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
They also said that there is nothing pre-determined truth in the world, man keeps experiencing new every day and discovers new truths. And then Plato emerged in the western world and philosophical thought there took a new turn and whatever philosophical thought took place until the fifteenth century was based on Plato’s thought.
In the present times, pragmatistic thought was commenced by Bacon in the sixteenth century. He described science as the guide of society. The eighteenth-century thinker, Comte too can be considered an early pragmatistic thinker, because he accepted the practical utility of science. But its development in the form of an independent philosophy started in America in the nineteenth century.
Charles Sanders Pierce (1839-1914) and William James (1842-1910) are considered to be the proponents of this ideology. James clarified the significance of human experience and described the man as the test of the truth of all objects and activities. After James, this ideology was taken forward by another American thinker, John Dewey. John Dewey accepted man’s willpower in the social context.
According to him, social interaction is the basis of human progress. After Dewey, Kilpatric of America and Schiller of England further developed this ideology. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
Of them all, the contribution of John Dewey is the greatest. In order to understand the form of philosophical thought, it is necessary to understand its metaphysics, epistemology, logic, axiology, and ethics. Though pragmatists have not expressed their views very clearly on these aspects, whatever their thought exists in relation to this universe and man, we shall try to understand its metaphysics, epistemology, logic, axiology, and ethics on that basis. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
Metaphysics of Pragmatism
Pragmatists, in place of considering the creation of this universe, consider only the practical aspect of human life. They tell only this much about the universe that this keeps making by several objects and activities. They do not involve themselves in the analysis of objects and activities. They do not consider the existence of any other world other than this world. They do not accept the existence of the soul and God. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
According to them, the other name for the mind is the soul, and the mind is an active element formed from matter. They do not discover any ultimate reality in the universe, they consider the present as the truth. James and Schiller considered only those objects and activities as true which are useful for human life and satisfy nature in an integrated manner. This thought is known as Humanistic Pragmatism. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
Some pragmatists consider only that as true which can be found true on a test. This thought of theirs is known as Experimental Pragmatism.
Some pragmatists consider only experienced knowledge as true, in whatever language it might be expressed. It is called Nominalistic Pragmatism.
A class of pragmatists consider man as a psychophysical creature and considers only those objects as true that fulfill the biological needs of man. It is called Biological Pragmatism.
The biological pragmatists consider that power of man is the most important by which he adapts himself to his environment and makes the environment suitable for himself if needed. They look at man as such a. biological being, who is, such a means, cause, or instrument in himself that is capable of adapting to the environment and making the environment adapt to himself. On the basis of this thought, it is called Instrumentalism. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
Epistemology and Logic of Pragmatism
According to pragmatists, a re-creation of experiences is knowledge. They do not consider knowledge as the end, rather they consider it a means to make human life happy. According to them, knowledge is realized by taking part in social activities. They consider organs of action and sense organs as the basis of knowledge; the brain and intellect as the controller of knowledge and social activities as the means of getting knowledge. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
Axiology and Ethics of Pragmatism
Pragmatists do not believe in predetermined truth, ideals, and values, so they do not make any definite code of conduct. They clarify that continuous change occurs in human life, so stable conduct cannot be specified for him. He should have the ability to adapt to the changing environment. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
They want to develop social skills in the children. By social skill, pragmatists mean the ability to adjust to society, earn their livelihood, discover useful objects and activities, and solve problems. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
Definition of Pragmatism
There are several forms of pragmatism and they have analyzed the world and human life differently, but they have similarities in essence. On the basis of this similarity, scholars have attempted to define it. In the words of Ross :
Pragmatism is essentially a humanistic philosophy maintaining that man creates his own values in course of activity, and that reality is still in making and awaits its part of completion.
But this definition does not display pragmatism fully. From the viewpoint of its metaphysics, epistemology, logic, axiology, and ethics, we ought to define it as follows:
Pragmatism is a school of Western philosophy that considers this universe as the outcome of different elements and activities and accepts the natural world as the only real world. It does not consider God and accepts the soul as an active element produced from matter and propounds that the ultimate aim of human life is to live happily, ‘which can be achieved by following social laws.
Fundamental Principles of Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a humanistic philosophy. It does not give any thought to the origin of this universe and its objects and activities, but simply considers their utility for human life. In the form of an independent philosophy, it has discussed its causal aspects and that too on the basis of human life. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
If we desire to organize the metaphysics, epistemology, logic, axiology, and ethics of pragmatism in the form of principles, we can do as follow :
- This World is the outcome of Numerous Elements and Activities: Pragmatists do not involve themselves in the discovery of any fundamental element of the universe. According to them, this world is created by numerous elements as a result of different types of activities among them. According to them, this process continues to occur. all times, so this universe is always in the process of making. Thus, pragmatism is a pluralistic philosophy that considers activity as the basis of construction.
- This Material World is True and there is No Spiritual World: Pragmatists believe in the principle of utility. According to them, only those objects, activities, and thoughts are true and have practical utility in human life. On this test, this physical world comes to be true and the spiritual world is untrue. We should understand one thing in this context an object, activity, or thought may not have practical utility at all times and under all circumstances from the human viewpoint. So pragmatists do not believe in any eternal truth or value. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
- The soul is an Active Element produced from Matter, and God is only Fancy: Pragmatists do not believe in any universal existence. They look at the soul as a fact that acts. They clarify that this soul becomes active in the social environment and does act according to the social environment. Pragmatists think that God is only a bit of fancy on the part of a man whose forms continue to change, so He cannot be accepted as the ultimate truth.
- Man is the highest Creature of the World: According to pragmatists, the first characteristic of man is that he is a psycho-physical being who has the power to act and think. Sociality is his second great characteristic. His third characteristic is that he does not consider anything as true unless tested; it is the reason that new discoveries take place very often. This feature of man is the cause of making him the highest being in the world. (BEd 2nd Year Meaning of Pragmatism Study Material Notes)
- The basis of Human Development is Social Process: Idealists consider the soul as the basis of human development and naturalists consider his nature as its basis but pragmatists argue that if a man is left alone in the forest away from human society, he cannot develop human qualities and capabilities. Then how can his soul or nature be considered the bases of his development? According to pragmatists, man affects his development by taking part in the social activities of human society.