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Position:Home>Philosophy> What are absolute grounds according to William James in "what pragmatism me


Question:Krystina:

Here is what the venerable philosopher himself had to say about the subject. His words are, I think, pretty straightforward:

"...the tangible fact at the root of all our thought-distinctions, however subtle, is that there is no one of them so fine as to consist in anything but a possible difference of practice. To attain perfect clearness in our thoughts of an object, then, we need only consider what conceivable effects of a practical kind the object may involve – what sensations we are to expect from it, and what reactions we must prepare. "

From: What is Pragmatism (1904), from series of eight lectures dedicated to the memory of John Stuart Mill, A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking, in December 1904, from William James, Writings 1902-1920, The Library of America; Lecture II (for further explication, see the link below).


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Krystina:

Here is what the venerable philosopher himself had to say about the subject. His words are, I think, pretty straightforward:

"...the tangible fact at the root of all our thought-distinctions, however subtle, is that there is no one of them so fine as to consist in anything but a possible difference of practice. To attain perfect clearness in our thoughts of an object, then, we need only consider what conceivable effects of a practical kind the object may involve – what sensations we are to expect from it, and what reactions we must prepare. "

From: What is Pragmatism (1904), from series of eight lectures dedicated to the memory of John Stuart Mill, A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking, in December 1904, from William James, Writings 1902-1920, The Library of America; Lecture II (for further explication, see the link below).