Summary
This book's central argument is that formal logic, by excluding context, need, aim, use, and voluntary selection, fails to represent human intellectual endeavor. It contends that logical distinctions are only meaningful when acknowledging these factors, advocating instead for a logic that aligns with human thinking. Traditional logic focuses on formal consistency, ignoring the material application of premises, which the author argues renders its "truth" a mere matter of tautology rather than practical efficacy.
The book critiques the idea of absolute certainty in formal logic, highlighting that actual human thinking involves adventure, risk, doubt, hypotheses, and experiments, leading to decisions that are inherently arbitrary and subject to revision. It posits that "truth" is a term language appropriates for the success of personal experiments, and that "truths" are essentially preferred truth-claims awaiting further confirmation, rather than immutable systems.
Key concepts
- Truth-claim — A statement that is asserted as true, but remains open to further confirmation.
- Methodological fictions — Concepts used in a logical system that are not necessarily factually true but serve a functional purpose.
- Pragmatic certainty — The state of a truth-claim having received enough confirmation to be considered certain within a practical context.
- Formal logic — A system of logic that focuses on the internal consistency of arguments, excluding external factors like context and relevance.
- Human intellectual endeavor — The process of thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving as it occurs in practice, involving personal experiments and potential for revision.
Popular questions readers ask
- Slosson describes his discovery of pragmatism as realizing he had been a pragmatist "all his life without knowing it." How would you explain pragmatism as Slosson seems to understand it, using his experiences in journalism and chemistry to illustrate its core principles to someone entirely unfamiliar with the philosophy?
- The text opens with a Mohammedan proverb emphasizing the recognition of contemporary "prophets," yet later presents F. C. S. Schiller's view that the world knows its greatest men only after they have ceased to be greatest. How might Slosson reconcile these two seemingly contradictory ideas when selecting and portraying his "Six Major Prophets," and what implicit criteria might he be using?
- G. B. Shaw's quote critiques the "impertinence" of writing about individuals who have already written about themselves. Given Slosson's dedication acknowledging his son's incorporated thoughts and his own role as a literary editor, how might this critique challenge or inform Slosson's own approach to biographical writing in "Six Major Prophets"?
- Slosson asserts that the "pragmatic mode of thinking is universal and unquestioned" in science and implies its applicability to "politics, law, ethics, history." If you were to explain how pragmatic thinking would manifest in one of these non-scientific fields, drawing on Slosson's implied understanding, what would be its key characteristics, and what unique challenges or benefits might it present in that domain?
- Consider the collective impact of the dedication to Slosson's son, the Mohammedan proverb, and the G. B. Shaw quote as the opening elements of the book. What overarching tone or intellectual challenge do these elements establish for the reader, and how might they influence how one approaches the "prophets" Slosson introduces?