The Metaphysics of Pragmatism - Couverture souple

Hook PH D, Dr Sidney

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1605203602 ISBN 13 : 9781605203607

Editeur : Cosimo Classics, 2008

Synopsis

Considered by some the most controversial American philosopher of contemporary times, SIDNEY HOOK (1902-1989) was infamous for the wild swing in his political thought over the course of his career, starting out as a young Marxist before the Great Depression and ending up a vehement anti-Communist in his later years. The Metaphysics of Pragmatism-Hook's first work, originally published in 1927-is something of a malicious joke on the philosopher's part, one he readily acknowledges in his introduction, a bringing together of one discipline, that of metaphysics, with the one generally regarded as its polar opposite, that of pragmatism, for the purposes of rescuing the second. Though not a political work at all-except, possibly, one of academic politics-this is nevertheless a fascinating introduction to this notorious figure. In its expression of the author's "passionate moral interest in the creative power... of human thinking," it may, perhaps, begin to lend some understanding to the shifts in his own thinking that characterized his work.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Since its inception pragmatism has been criticized as anti-metaphysical, its focus on scientific method and critical inquiry viewed as undermining one of the very foundations of traditional philosophy. Here, Sidney Hook begins his distinguished philosophical career by juxtaposing these terms to show that the pragmatic method cannot begin to help us solve human problems without holding to a particular view of how the world is arranged both physically and conceptually. But this does not imply that pragmatism holds to a traditional, rigid metaphysic; rather, it has an interactive dimension in which human problems are viewed as contingent upon the ways we structure our questions and design methods for finding solutions, both of which can change - and the implied metaphysic evolve - as inquiry uncovers new information about ourselves and the world.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Cosimo Classics
• Date d'édition: 2008
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1605203602
• ISBN 13: 9781605203607
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 156
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible