My favorite school of American philosophy, pragmatism, was based on what I see as a few simple questions: Does it work for me? Do I buy into it? What’s in it for me?
No matter what we’re passionately preaching about to our peers — politics, cool technology, religious and spiritual beliefs, societal trends, favorite artists and sports teams, or other interests, our opinions seem to be driven by something deep inside: our essential needs and wants. What do I really care about? How will it affect me and my loved ones? Is it more positive than negative?
Grand doctrines, or big ideas, essentially boil down to my first questions on what we’re likely to get out of accepting them. I’m suggesting we’re all driven by our core, deep self interests. It may be considered egocentric and self absorbed, but it usually drives positive, constructive action from me and my fellow humans.
Pragmatism was the dominant school of philosophy in the U.S. during the first quarter of the 20th century. It’s influence was seen in the fields of law, education, political and social theory, art, and religion. In essence, it was about changing old patterns of thinking and finding new and practical ways to achieve desires in life.
The intellectual movement, led by William James, John Dewey, and Charles Sanders Peirce, had papers and books published written in a tedious, academic style of the day. But in the end, it helped free thinkers set aside old, heavy, dark “truths” that got in the way of finding one’s authentic inner experience and meaning — about what intuitively and deeply makes sense to each individual thinker.
The founders were not attempting to unravel prior schools of thought — concepts, language, religions, and science — but they contended these theories were best perceived and learned in terms of their practical uses and successes.
William James, brother of renowned novelist Henry James, was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educator who lived from 1842 until 1910. If you’d taken a philosophy class in college, you probably read some of James’ writings. Regardless of the social environment that you came from, you can exercise some control over your thinking and attitudes, he said.
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes,” James said.
And there were other telling quotes from James: “Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power…….. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”
Pragmatism was a pivotal concept in the home I was raised in. My parents came from families led by alcoholic fathers, which could at times be turbulent and unpredictable. They’d also come of age during the Great Depression and became a couple during World War II. My father served in the European theater, while my mother worked and waited for him to come home to the Army Air Corp base in Greenville, S.C.
They’d survived tough times, and taught us to look for opportunities to keep our lives as stable and good as possible.
I have a few vivid memories showing me how pragmatic thinking can work, going way back to childhood.
As I finished the 6th grade, I got into a lot of trouble. Me and another boy had written obscenities in two girls’ yearbooks right before the last day of the school year, almost like graffiti on a wall. We got caught sneaking the yearbooks back to their desks, and had our mothers called about it.
For the girl whose yearbook I’d chosen to briefly kidnap for writing what I thought to be hilarious nasty words and insults, my parents wanted me to be accountable. My mother drove me to the girl’s house with a new and clean yearbook. I had to hand that restitution over to my classmate in front of her family, and apologize to her. It was quite humbling.
When we got home, I went to see my father, who was working in the garage. He listened and nodded his head as I told him about the humbling experience. While Mom had been upset with me, Dad was fairly calm and logical. He told me that it wasn’t a good idea to do what I’d done. What if, during college years, I’d wanted to ask that girl out on a date? But I’d ruined it at the end of 6th grade by spoiling her yearbook.
Yes, I told him, I understood. I began getting the subliminal message, “Don’t do stupid things.”
Another incident years later also stuck with me. My father was an engineer with the LA Fire Department. During many of his days off, he earned extra income working as a carpenter on home cabinet building and installation. He was charging homeowners more for his work than big construction contractors were doing at the time.
One housewife in Palos Verdes didn’t like Dad’s bid, after receiving a cheaper proposal from a competitor. But later she’d become quite frustrated with the large construction contractor’s poor quality of work, and fired the firm. She called Dad and said she wanted to work with him. He told her she’d have to go on his waiting list.
She reluctantly did that and had to wait nearly two years for him to come back, charge more than the big contractor, and complete the remodeling that they’d started.
As for my mother, a simple fact tells it all. On August 24, 2019, she’ll be turning 101 years old.
“Have you ever known anyone this old,” she asks me when I visit her.
“No, Mom,” I tell her, “I’ve never met anyone as old as you.”
We don’t really know how she made it this long, beyond basic genetic strengths. We do think it has something to do with her practicing what gerontologists recommend. She does have regular social contact with others, and in recent years that’s been housemates and staff at her assisted living home. And she reads mystery books and does the crossword puzzle daily. Getting good healthcare and nutrition also helps her.
It also seems to have something to do with her attitudes and habitual practices. We used to tease her for being a bit quirky, living in her own world. But it seems to help keep her going at 100 years old.
I’m continually searching for the Truth, the meaning of life, more than my parents seem to have done. What will happen to our mother after she dies? Where is our father now? Am I much like my mother and father? What have I inherited? What kind of world do we live in today? What will it look like for future generations?
In his book, Varieties of Religious Experience, James explored several ways people have discovered their understanding of spiritual and philosophical truths. While some have experienced sudden and fantastic spiritual experiences, James wrote that most people have their own personal experiences gradually over a period of time — what he called the “educational variety.”
Why do many of us search endlessly for philosophical truths, grappling with mysteries and difficult questions? I doubt our two cats are doing it, nor any of their fellows in the animal kingdom. But we humans tend to do quite a lot of grappling.
Our world can appear to be chaotic and amoral, with insanity run rampant in violence, abuse, manipulation, lies, thievery, and tragedy. Is there some real meaning and order to it?
There’s also some amazing beauty out there, and things of wonder. It reminds me of a famous passage from Charles Dickens’ book, A Tale of Two Cities: “These were the best of times and the worst of times.”
Pragmatism bring us hope. We must continue doing what we believe in, no matter what else may be going on in our world.
We don’t really know how it all turns out after we die. Some of us, me included, believe there are rewards in our universe for treating others and ourselves with respect, love, and dignity.
I think another psychologist and philosopher had a similar mindset on the subject matter as James. American psychologist and author Abraham Maslow wrote about our “hierarchy of needs,” with the premise that humans won’t be creating art and pondering philosophical truths if we’re fighting to stay alive.
If we have a roof over our heads, beans and tortillas on the table, and a safe neighborhood to live in, life gets better. Then we can spend more time on relationships, having fun, finding rewarding work, and pondering the meaning of life.
Maslow was a pragmatist. He understood that economics is the principal platform for stability, social order, and creating space for development of creativity and constructive thinking and action.
The three leading thinkers in the discipline of pragmatism defined the philosophy as action over doctrine and experience over fixed principals. I would agree with them — I see pragmatism and self interest explaining why things happen.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of how it can work:
What will nations do about a key demographic trend taking place around the world — young people moving to cities and away from suburbs, small towns, and farmland? Living in overpopulated, crowded cities with jammed roadways, air pollution, and increasing tensions over available housing, the high cost of living, and a growing number of homeless people out on the streets, are becoming the reality we’d been warned about years ago. They will surely become top-of-the-list issues for those running for governor, senator, prime minister, president, and other seats.
Southern California, including my hometown of Long Beach, has seen its numbers grow and many times from people who’d been born and raised in another country. The southland is a focal point for political battles on immigration coming from the White House, and which have been hot topics for years in Washington, Sacramento, and other state capitals. Some fear all of this will increase the crime rate and tensions in communities. Others see it as an example of what will be taking place around the world, and they hope for positive outcomes.
The world’s population is at 7.7 billion people as of April 2019, according to the most recent United Nations estimate. The last time I’d looked it up a few years ago, it was at 7.3 billion. What does overpopulation mean today?
Who’s going to suffer, and who’s going to benefit and bring solutions?
Of the three pragmatist leaders, John Dewey was a pragmatic educator, recognized for establishing his famous “Laboratory School” in 1896 to develop and test “progressive” methods of teaching. This was inspired much by his fascination with how education could enhance democracy.
What would Dewey say about the rapidly changing job market in the U.S. and other economies around the world? Robotics and automation are here, and will be displacing jobs in big waves over the next two decades — drivers, factory workers, parts makers, maintenance and repair workers, security, and who knows what else. What would pragmatists say about it?
I, for one, would like to see a lot more focus on this reality with pragmatic deployment of the necessary job training, systems management, safety standards, and leaders who can guide the path between old systems clashing with new systems during the transition periods. That would include human-driven vehicles sharing roads with autonomous vehicles. The robotic revolution is a very big deal in how we’ll be working (and not working), going from Point A to Point B, and where displaced workers will end up.
What about surviving horrific storms? Climate change or no climate change, there are lots of natural disasters occurring regularly, coming from intense, unusual weather conditions. Some call it climate disruption and it’s getting worse all the time — flooding, fires, tsunamis, hurricanes, and blizzards are occurring regularly, becoming quite dangerous and destructive.
So what’s the pragmatic side of the coin here? Those who can bring rapid and effective disaster response will do well, especially as the growing global population moves closer to coastlines and waterways in major metro areas. We don’t want to see thousands, maybe millions, of casualties. Best practices will have to be deployed, and as history shows, humans will commit to new technology and thinking when the death rate and cataclysm go high enough.
You might have some passionate arguments to make in favor of your political, economic, cultural, religious, and philosophical beliefs. Please share them, as we do live in a democracy with freedom of speech. But I would say to you, “What’s in it for you? What’s in it for me? Will it work?”
What’s the real story behind the arguments?
We’re all self interested, and that can really be a good thing. If we’re all working hard — struggling — for our own good and for the loved ones close in our lives, our outside opinions will be shaped by that inner drive.
Why make lofty claims that sound superior to other people’s take on the matter? We’re all looking out for what’s best for our own needs and wants. So let’s be honest about it — and find ways to talk about these questions, these big ideas, before they become worst-case scenarios.
No matter what we’re passionately preaching about to our peers — politics, cool technology, religious and spiritual beliefs, societal trends, favorite artists and sports teams, or other interests, our opinions seem to be driven by something deep inside: our essential needs and wants. What do I really care about? How will it affect me and my loved ones? Is it more positive than negative?Grand doctrines, or big ideas, essentially boil down to my first questions on what we’re likely to get out of accepting them. I’m suggesting we’re all driven by our core, deep self interests. It may be considered egocentric and self absorbed, but it usually drives positive, constructive action from me and my fellow humans.
Pragmatism was the dominant school of philosophy in the U.S. during the first quarter of the 20th century. It’s influence was seen in the fields of law, education, political and social theory, art, and religion. In essence, it was about changing old patterns of thinking and finding new and practical ways to achieve desires in life.
The intellectual movement, led by William James, John Dewey, and Charles Sanders Peirce, had papers and books published written in a tedious, academic style of the day. But in the end, it helped free thinkers set aside old, heavy, dark “truths” that got in the way of finding one’s authentic inner experience and meaning — about what intuitively and deeply makes sense to each individual thinker.
The founders were not attempting to unravel prior schools of thought — concepts, language, religions, and science — but they contended these theories were best perceived and learned in terms of their practical uses and successes.
William James, brother of renowned novelist Henry James, was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educator who lived from 1842 until 1910. If you’d taken a philosophy class in college, you probably read some of James’ writings. Regardless of the social environment that you came from, you can exercise some control over your thinking and attitudes, he said.
“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes,” James said.
And there were other telling quotes from James: “Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power…….. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”
Pragmatism was a pivotal concept in the home I was raised in. My parents came from families led by alcoholic fathers, which could at times be turbulent and unpredictable. They’d also come of age during the Great Depression and became a couple during World War II. My father served in the European theater, while my mother worked and waited for him to come home to the Army Air Corp base in Greenville, S.C.
They’d survived tough times, and taught us to look for opportunities to keep our lives as stable and good as possible.
I have a few vivid memories showing me how pragmatic thinking can work, going way back to childhood.
As I finished the 6th grade, I got into a lot of trouble. Me and another boy had written obscenities in two girls’ yearbooks right before the last day of the school year, almost like graffiti on a wall. We got caught sneaking the yearbooks back to their desks, and had our mothers called about it.
For the girl whose yearbook I’d chosen to briefly kidnap for writing what I thought to be hilarious nasty words and insults, my parents wanted me to be accountable. My mother drove me to the girl’s house with a new and clean yearbook. I had to hand that restitution over to my classmate in front of her family, and apologize to her. It was quite humbling.
When we got home, I went to see my father, who was working in the garage. He listened and nodded his head as I told him about the humbling experience. While Mom had been upset with me, Dad was fairly calm and logical. He told me that it wasn’t a good idea to do what I’d done. What if, during college years, I’d wanted to ask that girl out on a date? But I’d ruined it at the end of 6th grade by spoiling her yearbook.
Yes, I told him, I understood. I began getting the subliminal message, “Don’t do stupid things.”
Another incident years later also stuck with me. My father was an engineer with the LA Fire Department. During many of his days off, he earned extra income working as a carpenter on home cabinet building and installation. He was charging homeowners more for his work than big construction contractors were doing at the time.
One housewife in Palos Verdes didn’t like Dad’s bid, after receiving a cheaper proposal from a competitor. But later she’d become quite frustrated with the large construction contractor’s poor quality of work, and fired the firm. She called Dad and said she wanted to work with him. He told her she’d have to go on his waiting list.
She reluctantly did that and had to wait nearly two years for him to come back, charge more than the big contractor, and complete the remodeling that they’d started.
As for my mother, a simple fact tells it all. On August 24, 2019, she’ll be turning 101 years old.
“Have you ever known anyone this old,” she asks me when I visit her.
“No, Mom,” I tell her, “I’ve never met anyone as old as you.”
We don’t really know how she made it this long, beyond basic genetic strengths. We do think it has something to do with her practicing what gerontologists recommend. She does have regular social contact with others, and in recent years that’s been housemates and staff at her assisted living home. And she reads mystery books and does the crossword puzzle daily. Getting good healthcare and nutrition also helps her.
It also seems to have something to do with her attitudes and habitual practices. We used to tease her for being a bit quirky, living in her own world. But it seems to help keep her going at 100 years old.
I’m continually searching for the Truth, the meaning of life, more than my parents seem to have done. What will happen to our mother after she dies? Where is our father now? Am I much like my mother and father? What have I inherited? What kind of world do we live in today? What will it look like for future generations?
In his book, Varieties of Religious Experience, James explored several ways people have discovered their understanding of spiritual and philosophical truths. While some have experienced sudden and fantastic spiritual experiences, James wrote that most people have their own personal experiences gradually over a period of time — what he called the “educational variety.”
Why do many of us search endlessly for philosophical truths, grappling with mysteries and difficult questions? I doubt our two cats are doing it, nor any of their fellows in the animal kingdom. But we humans tend to do quite a lot of grappling.
Our world can appear to be chaotic and amoral, with insanity run rampant in violence, abuse, manipulation, lies, thievery, and tragedy. Is there some real meaning and order to it?
There’s also some amazing beauty out there, and things of wonder. It reminds me of a famous passage from Charles Dickens’ book, A Tale of Two Cities: “These were the best of times and the worst of times.”
Pragmatism bring us hope. We must continue doing what we believe in, no matter what else may be going on in our world.
We don’t really know how it all turns out after we die. Some of us, me included, believe there are rewards in our universe for treating others and ourselves with respect, love, and dignity.
I think another psychologist and philosopher had a similar mindset on the subject matter as James. American psychologist and author Abraham Maslow wrote about our “hierarchy of needs,” with the premise that humans won’t be creating art and pondering philosophical truths if we’re fighting to stay alive.
If we have a roof over our heads, beans and tortillas on the table, and a safe neighborhood to live in, life gets better. Then we can spend more time on relationships, having fun, finding rewarding work, and pondering the meaning of life.
Maslow was a pragmatist. He understood that economics is the principal platform for stability, social order, and creating space for development of creativity and constructive thinking and action.
The three leading thinkers in the discipline of pragmatism defined the philosophy as action over doctrine and experience over fixed principals. I would agree with them — I see pragmatism and self interest explaining why things happen.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of how it can work:
What will nations do about a key demographic trend taking place around the world — young people moving to cities and away from suburbs, small towns, and farmland? Living in overpopulated, crowded cities with jammed roadways, air pollution, and increasing tensions over available housing, the high cost of living, and a growing number of homeless people out on the streets, are becoming the reality we’d been warned about years ago. They will surely become top-of-the-list issues for those running for governor, senator, prime minister, president, and other seats.
Southern California, including my hometown of Long Beach, has seen its numbers grow and many times from people who’d been born and raised in another country. The southland is a focal point for political battles on immigration coming from the White House, and which have been hot topics for years in Washington, Sacramento, and other state capitals. Some fear all of this will increase the crime rate and tensions in communities. Others see it as an example of what will be taking place around the world, and they hope for positive outcomes.
The world’s population is at 7.7 billion people as of April 2019, according to the most recent United Nations estimate. The last time I’d looked it up a few years ago, it was at 7.3 billion. What does overpopulation mean today?
Who’s going to suffer, and who’s going to benefit and bring solutions?
Of the three pragmatist leaders, John Dewey was a pragmatic educator, recognized for establishing his famous “Laboratory School” in 1896 to develop and test “progressive” methods of teaching. This was inspired much by his fascination with how education could enhance democracy.
What would Dewey say about the rapidly changing job market in the U.S. and other economies around the world? Robotics and automation are here, and will be displacing jobs in big waves over the next two decades — drivers, factory workers, parts makers, maintenance and repair workers, security, and who knows what else. What would pragmatists say about it?
I, for one, would like to see a lot more focus on this reality with pragmatic deployment of the necessary job training, systems management, safety standards, and leaders who can guide the path between old systems clashing with new systems during the transition periods. That would include human-driven vehicles sharing roads with autonomous vehicles. The robotic revolution is a very big deal in how we’ll be working (and not working), going from Point A to Point B, and where displaced workers will end up.
What about surviving horrific storms? Climate change or no climate change, there are lots of natural disasters occurring regularly, coming from intense, unusual weather conditions. Some call it climate disruption and it’s getting worse all the time — flooding, fires, tsunamis, hurricanes, and blizzards are occurring regularly, becoming quite dangerous and destructive.
So what’s the pragmatic side of the coin here? Those who can bring rapid and effective disaster response will do well, especially as the growing global population moves closer to coastlines and waterways in major metro areas. We don’t want to see thousands, maybe millions, of casualties. Best practices will have to be deployed, and as history shows, humans will commit to new technology and thinking when the death rate and cataclysm go high enough.
You might have some passionate arguments to make in favor of your political, economic, cultural, religious, and philosophical beliefs. Please share them, as we do live in a democracy with freedom of speech. But I would say to you, “What’s in it for you? What’s in it for me? Will it work?”
What’s the real story behind the arguments?
We’re all self interested, and that can really be a good thing. If we’re all working hard — struggling — for our own good and for the loved ones close in our lives, our outside opinions will be shaped by that inner drive.
Why make lofty claims that sound superior to other people’s take on the matter? We’re all looking out for what’s best for our own needs and wants. So let’s be honest about it — and find ways to talk about these questions, these big ideas, before they become worst-case scenarios.
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