Tradition
2 readings
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Pragmatism
Tradition · 2 readings
Pragmatism ties meaning and inquiry to practical consequences. Peirce, James and later uses of the idea differ, and useful inquiry cannot be reduced to believing whatever feels comforting.
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2 readings · Title A–Z
Guided course · Module 12 · Lesson 71
Can a tradition be reconstructed rather than preserved unchanged?
Hu Shi and Liang Shuming disagree about how a tradition should be renewed and what science, democracy and inherited moral resources contribute. The lesson also separates a philosophical proposal from state policy.
Guided course · Module 11 · Lesson 61
What difference would an idea make in practice?
Peirce and James tie meaning and truth to practical consequences. How can consequences clarify a claim without making comfort the test of truth?