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Single Idea 22867
[filed under theme 11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 1. Certainty
]
Full Idea
The quest for certainty is a quest for a peace which is assured, an object which is unqualified by risk and the shadow of fear which action costs.
Gist of Idea
The quest for certainty aims for peace, and avoidance of the stress of action
Source
John Dewey (The Later Works (17 vols, ed Boydston) [1930], 4:7), quoted by David Hildebrand - Dewey 2 'Intro'
Book Ref
Hildebrand,David: 'Dewey' [One World 2008], p.40
A Reaction
This is a characteristic pragmatist account. I think Dewey and Peirce offer us the correct attitude to certainty. It is just not available to us, and can only be a delusion. That doesn't mean we don't know anything, however!
The
19 ideas
from John Dewey
22866
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Mind is never isolated, but only exists in its interactions
[Dewey]
|
22873
|
Liberalism should improve the system, and not just ameliorate it
[Dewey]
|
22872
|
Liberals aim to allow individuals to realise their capacities
[Dewey]
|
22869
|
Knowledge is either the product of competent enquiry, or it is meaningless
[Dewey]
|
22870
|
No belief can be so settled that it is not subject to further inquiry
[Dewey]
|
22867
|
The quest for certainty aims for peace, and avoidance of the stress of action
[Dewey]
|
22864
|
Philosophy is the study and criticsm of cultural beliefs, to achieve new possibilities
[Dewey]
|
22879
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'God' is an imaginative unity of ideal values
[Dewey]
|
22877
|
We should try attaching the intensity of religious devotion to intelligent social action
[Dewey]
|
22880
|
The things in civilisation we prize are the products of other members of our community
[Dewey]
|
22878
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Religions are so shockingly diverse that they have no common element
[Dewey]
|
22871
|
The good people are those who improve; the bad are those who deteriorate
[Dewey]
|
22876
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Democracy is the development of human nature when it shares in the running of communal activities
[Dewey]
|
22865
|
Habits constitute the self
[Dewey]
|
22874
|
Individuality is only developed within groups
[Dewey]
|
22868
|
The value and truth of knowledge are measured by success in activity
[Dewey]
|
22875
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Democracy is not just a form of government; it is a mode of shared living
[Dewey]
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21516
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We want certainty in order to achieve secure results for action
[Dewey]
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8478
|
Dewey argued long before Wittgenstein that there could not seriously be a private language
[Dewey, by Orenstein]
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