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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] |
| 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] |