Structuring the World: The Issue of Realism and the Nature of Ontological Problems in Classical and Contemporary Pragmatism

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From the Preface: First of all, I must apologize for the length of this essay. Another thick philosophical book! The only explanation I can think of is the fact that in order to discuss, even nearly adequately, the complexities of the views of the individual thinkers associated with the tradition of pragmatism, one must let these philosophers speak for themselves. I have tried to do justice to them. Moreover, one of the key features of pragmatism — Jamesian pragmatism, at least — is individualism. I have tried not to reduce the difficult positions of individual thinkers to simple and general philosophical “isms”. Rather, I attempt to explain what such “isms” mean as ascribed to single philosophers. From the Introduction: As soon as one realizes that we all, inescapably, live our lives as members of one or another human community with both individual and social ends and purposes in view, one has almost become a pragmatist. This need not yet make us all pragmatists in a more philosophical sense of the word. Pragmatism, to give a somewhat loose and informal characterization, is the view that man’s practical purposes (individual and social alike) must be taken seriously in constructing philosophical explanations of the nature of the world as well as of humanity; moreover, man’s need to live within a human praxis, or different practices, must be recognized even with respect to his or her most theoretical aims and projects (including ontology, i.e., the philosophical project of finding out what there is in the world). In my sense, thus, pragmatism is such a broad doctrine that quite different thinkers can be classified as pragmatists. My list would include, say, Goodman, Quine, and Wittgenstein. Cover Title Page Preface Contents Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Pragmatism, Realism, and Truth 2.1. The Problem of Realism 2.2. What Is Pragmatism? 2.3. The Possibility of Pragmatic Realism Chapter 3: Ontological Concepts and Problems in Classical Pragmatism 3.1. The Pragmatic Maxim 3.2. Ontological Tolerance, Pragmatic Pluralism, and Experience 3.3. Pragmatism as Ontological Constructivism 3.4. Concluding Remarks Chapter 4: The Problem of Realism in Contemporary Pragmatism 4.1. Experience and Reality: Empiricism, Realism, and Pragmatism 4.2. Ontological Issues as Linguistic Issues 4.3. Ontological Tolerance and “Internal Realism” 4.4. Ontological Constructivism 4.5. Are There Real Ontological Problems? 4.6. Things in Themselves and the Problem of the “Measure” 4.7. The Inexhaustible World: Realism, Idealism, and Pragmatism Chapter 5: Some Ontological Problems Pragmatically Considered 5.1. Emergence and Cultural Entities 5.2. Theoretical Entities 5.3. Naturalism, Pragmatism, and Anti-Reductionism 5.4. Pragmatism, Science, and Philosophy of Religion Chapter 6: Concluding Metaphilosophical Remarks 6.1. The Status of Ontological Pragmatism 6.2. Arguments, Anti-Foundationalism, and Ontological Vision 6.3. Man, Praxis, and Ontological Responsibility 6.4. Conclusion Bibliography Index of Names Back Cover