Its oneness and manyness are co-
ordinate. Question of one origin. Generic oneness. One purpose. One
story. One knower. Value of pragmatic method. Absolute monism.
Vivekananda. Various types of union discussed. Conclusion: We must
oppose monistic dogmatism and follow empirical findings.
Lecture V
Pragmatism and Common Sense
Noetic pluralism. How our knowledge grows. Earlier ways of thinking
remain. Prehistoric ancestors DISCOVERED the common sense concepts.
List of them. They came gradually into use. Space and time.
'Things.' Kinds. 'Cause' and 'law.' Common sense one stage in mental
evolution, due to geniuses. The 'critical' stages: 1) scientific and
2) philosophic, compared with common sense. Impossible to say which
is the more 'true.'
Lecture VI
Pragmatism's Conception of Truth
The polemic situation. What does agreement with reality mean? It
means verifiability. Verifiability means ability to guide us
prosperously through experience. Completed verifications seldom
needful. 'Eternal' truths. Consistency, with language, with previous
truths. Rationalist objections. Truth is a good, like health,
wealth, etc. It is expedient thinking. The past. Truth grows.
Rationalist objections.
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