New-York tribune., 1909-06-12
4 QUERY ANSWERED.
!, Further Light on a Neso School of
Philosophy.


WHAT IS PRAMATIsMi ssso| Ry ]1fs IN Pb6aophy 6STff5
IN Wlliians College. 12mo. PIP Xii. 200 Inc
Macmillan Company
The conspicuous exponents of pragma'lSH
,1non whose writings Mr- Pratt has 20 draw Tor
the pure milk Of the doctrine are Professors
William James. F. c. s. Schiller of Oxford, and
John Dewey As a technical term this new
name for some old ways OF thinking orig mated
thirty wears ago with Mr.. c. s. Pierce. who de-
fined tIle whole meaning of any object as con-
sfsrins in the habit or reaction induced in US
directly or indirectly. by the object PraG-
rnatisrn. II II stops short of the dignity o. a
completed system. is plainly something more
than a state Of mind. According to the IN
genuous declaration or Professor PaP'ni 1t Is
really less a philosophy than method OF dong
without one Such an admission will never Go,
Of course. for is not that arch-pragnatist, Pro-
fessor James. himself the author Of a definition,
long canonized by admiration. to the effect that
philosophy s>an unusually obstinate attempt 10
think clearly and consistently? What Mr.
Pratt's scrutiny has revealed is the fact that
with reference TO certain fundamental questions
pragmatisrn has definite technical doctrines to
present. More specifically II offers us theory
Of meaning. a theory of truth and theory of
knowledge, and 1t is trying also to work out a
theory OF Te2IllE Inc IIcId oA pidS4AIa'4S4Ai
shows ii to be the result Of two influences. one
the Kantian emphasis the primacy Of the
practical reason and the other the modern SCI
entiac view Of the meaning OF hypothesis as not
so much descriptions Of an outer and inde-
pendent nature" as ways OF summarizing and
explaining our experience
To begin with. the pragmatIc theory of mean
ing. according to which the meaning OF any
philosophical proposition can always be brought
down 10 some particular consequence in OF.
future practical experience Professor Pratt
asks whose practical experience IS here thought
Of Not surely. that of some individual life and
mind since we may not logically disregard the
real possible experiences of any sentient
beings If the first supposition is preposterous.
the latter reduces the pragmatist proposition TO
proportions within the acceptance Of all types
Of thinkers excepting the radical realists. The
definition Of truth as a function OF our intel
lectual activity which turns out to be useful is
open 10 objection because il identifies truth with
the psychological processes by which It is at
taned. To the pragmatist truth depends on
verifcation: but. says our author, you must
have something than a subjective certi-
flying Of truth and to apISa! 10 some other cri-
terion than the process OF verifica ton is to go
over to the n-pragmatist's point OF view The
same necessity of a criterion for judging be
tween two opinions brings Us 10 the recognition
Of the archaeological gulf" never to be trans
cended If we must accept the pragmatist defini-
ton Of cognition ''dete-miaate arnbulation
through Intermediates, from a terminus quo
to or toward terminus dd qHcn,"
While the detailed contentious Of pragmat tfsr1
may crumble before any obstinate attempt to
think clearly and consistently. the movement"
is not without sajutary elements, and chief
among these Professor Pratt would name its
emphasis upon the practical value OF truth and
knowledge, its insistence that they are tools
and implements which should be used as we'll as
enjoyed, and that in enthusiasm over the
possession of these things the humber practical
values Of life must not be sighted To this
broad. living human point Of view pragmatism
owes its rather striking popularity and the
rapid progress il has made among non technical
readers 1T seems to be the common impress
sion" adds the author, that at this critical
moment in the warfare of religion with agnos-
ticisnl the pragmatists have come up to the help
Of the Lord against the mighty, and that
thanks TO their neW-forged and new-fashioned
weapons victory is secure" But the distinction
must be made between the views actually held
by pragmatists and the logical consequences of
pragmatic epistemoIogy as applied to religious
problems Thus. while Mr.. Pratt thinks that
Professor James's 'T'he VIII To Believe has
been one Of the greatest influences for genuine
religious faith that have appeared in the last
half century. he is none the less sure that there
is a more satisfying way than pragmatism indi-
Gates Of sustaining the prestige OF the religious
instincts. What that way is Mr. Pratt does not
enlarge on and such constructive argument
would be matter for another book. AS a keen
and good humored analysis the present volume
makes worthy contribution to the pretty con-
troversy going on