William James · Philosophy

Pragmatism: What Difference Does It Make?

William James&rsquo;s pragmatism - the method that settles disputes by tracing their practical consequences, and the theory that an idea&rsquo;s truth is not a property it simply has but something that <em>happens</em> to it, as the idea proves its worth in experience.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that pragmatism is first a method (trace an idea&rsquo;s practical consequences to find its meaning) and then a theory of truth (the true is what verifies itself and works, &lsquo;the expedient in the way of our thinking&rsquo;). Explain both in your own words.

Leads to Charles Sanders Peirce.

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