more from this thinker | more from this text
Full Idea
Pragmatism holds that a belief is to be judged if it has certain effects, whereas I hold that an empirical belief is to be judged true if it has certain kinds of causes.
Gist of Idea
Pragmatism judges by effects, but I judge truth by causes
Source
Bertrand Russell (My Philosophical Development [1959], Ch.15)
Book Ref
Russell,Bertrand: 'My Philosophical Development' [Routledge 1993], p.131
A Reaction
I'm with Russell here, and this seems to me a convincing objection to pragmatism. The simple problem is that falsehoods can occasionally have very beneficial effects. Beliefs are made true by the facts, not by their consequences.
1890 | We distinguish ambiguities by seeing what is useful [Sext.Empiricus] |
14794 | Instead of seeking Truth, we should seek belief that is beyond doubt [Peirce] |
14795 | Pragmatism is a way of establishing meanings, not a theory of metaphysics or a set of truths [Peirce] |
18989 | Pragmatism accepts any hypothesis which has useful consequences [James] |
6441 | Pragmatism judges by effects, but I judge truth by causes [Russell] |
13937 | New linguistic claims about entities are not true or false, but just expedient, fruitful or successful [Carnap] |
24214 | Pragmatists are right that science is action on nature - but it must be methodical [Weil] |
12625 | Pragmatism is the worst idea ever [Fodor] |
4746 | Pragmatism is better understood as a theory of belief than as a theory of truth [Engel] |