Description
Book SynopsisSince C. S. Pierce advocated a pragmatic approach to truth and knowledge, it has been one of the characteristic themes of American philosophy. This book examines how pragmatism''s central ideas can be applied and implemented across the entire domain of philosophical deliberations, ranging from theory of knowledge and the value theory to providing explanations for human actions, and even to matters of ethics and religion. While there are various ways in which to weigh the merit of a philosophical idea or theory, this book makes the case that an assessment of that theory's applicative utility is of the essence. The intersection of the theoretical and the practical is where meaningful philosophizing finds its legs, and Rescher's unique pragmatically oriented analyses of traditional philosophical us to regard some historically prominent philosophical ideas in a new and revealing light.
Table of ContentsCONTENTS Preface 1. The Pragmatic Vision 2. Theoretical Utility 3. Knowledge in Pragmatic Perspective 4. Leaping in the Dark 5. Supposition as a Pragmatism Device 6. Induction as a Pragmatic Resource 7. Facts and Values in Pragmatic Perspective 8. Excellence as a Pragmatic Conception 9. On Explaining and Evaluating Human Actions 10. Condemnation vs. Blame in Pragmatic Perspective 11. On the Pragmatic Role of Positive Interpersonal Attitudes 12. The Pragmatics of Betterment 13. Can Pragmatism Validate Itself? 14. Pragmatism and Religion Name Index
