However, James’s influence upon them was obviously the trend-setting factor. Realism pragmatism v3 3 Realism and Pragmatism in a mixed methods study Abstract Aim: A discussion of how adopting a Realist rather than Pragmatist methodology affects the conduct of mixed methods research. More generally, “[p]roperties have no meaning for science, except as energy determinations, characteristics within energy systems” (, is “a fundamental characteristic of energy systems” (, of relativity (without mentioning Einstein himself) Boodin points out that “[w]e know of no absolute position in space or absolute system of relations”, and that “[o]ur standards of measurement, whether of energy, time, or space, are all alike pragmatic”, From all this, however, it does not follow that things are “created or ‘faked’” (1916: 70). “In art,” he maintains, “the selective activity is for the sake of permanent objects of enjoyment; in metaphysics, for the sake of understanding. See, in this connection, his extended critique of James’s variant of pragmatism in Carus 1908. 42As a programmatic characterization, this diagnosis is false. HomeIssuesXI-1Symposia. But already two years earlier they had published “The Program and First Platform of Six Realists.” In this manifesto, they came along with a couple of – more or less general – realist theses. At one of the Philosophy Club’s meetings, James gave a talk titled “Is Life Worth Living?”. John Elof, (1908), “Philosophic Tolerance. 47Regarding pragmatism, it is interesting to note that Boodin does not make any mention of it in “Functional Realism.” To be sure, at two places he casually refers to James (1934: 161) and to Dewey (1934: 171). Strong (eds), Essays in Critical Realism: A Co-Operative Study in the Problem of Knowledge, London, Macmillan, 35-81. “Truth in science is what gives us the maximum possible sum of satisfaction, taste included, but consistency both with previous truth and with novel fact is always the most imperious claimant.” (. Consequently, the Jamesian reduction of truth to verification turns out to be insufficient. Realism and Idealism are two competing philosophies in the field of education. And he continues: When he wrote the 1908 paper, Boodin already had a professorship at the University of Kansas. , published in 1911, that Boodin directly replied to that comment. Fundamental Principles: 1. To be sure, the bifurcation of thing and environment figured prominently within the framework of new realism.20 However, from the standpoint of critical realism, there is no such bifurcation. : 151). Strong (eds), (1920), Essays in Critical Realism: A Co-Operative Study in the Problem of Knowledge, London, Macmillan. However, one of his brothers had settled in Colchester some time before. : 225). 21 See esp. 39From all this, however, it does not follow that things are “created or ‘faked’” (1916: 70). Lv 7. It runs on all fours with the perfectly wise man, and with the absolutely complete experience.” (James 2017 [1907]: 82). Idealism, on the other hand, would hold that there is strictly only one unity of consciousness and that existence is a function of being part of a significant system. He obviously knew of Peirce’s 1905 contribution for. Their originality has lain mostly in the simplicity and directness of their aim – the clearness and intensity of their emphasis. 32Boodin’s own solution to that problem amounts to the endorsement of contemporary energetics, as it was primarily established in the German-speaking area by thinkers such as Wilhelm Ostwald and Georg Helm.16 On Boodin’s reading, energetics provides us with the essential tools for bridging the gap between “the” subjective and “the” objective. Right at the beginning he makes the following critical statement: See, in this connection, especially Perry’s account of “external relations” in Perry 1912. Boodin himself belonged to that very generation, so that it appears more adequate to speak of the “pragmatism of a European-born philosopher” than of Boodin’s “European pragmatism.”3. Here at least the artist has the sense of doing something, for in the other temples there is nothing to do but contemplate that which is, whether beauty or desert. 8On the whole, Boodin’s philosophical work fell into oblivion with the death of its author. In his opinion, “the doctrine commonly put forward as ‘pragmatism’ may be said to be a changeling, substituted almost in the cradle” (Lovejoy 1920: 80).9. Thus the weight of a body varies at different points of the surface of the earth; it is, in other words, a function of the attraction of the earth. After a short time working in a “low vein” mine owned by the Quincy Coal Company, Boodin attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1890-91 where he studied Latin, Greek, Swedish, and Geometry. Whereas, is, according to its subtitle, an “Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge,”. See Wiktionary Terms of Use for details. Philosopher-Poet,”, Matthias, (2002), “Physics Without Pictures? We do not wonder over the disappointment at this lack of novelty of the pragmatic method. However, as Sellars repeatedly stressed (see, for example, Sellars 1924: 383), there existed two “wings” within the critical realist movement: a metaphysical (“essentialist”) wing, primarily represented by the work of Santayana, and an empirical (“naturalist”) wing, primarily represented by Sellars’s own contributions. “In art,” he maintains, “the selective activity is for the sake of permanent objects of enjoyment; in metaphysics, for the sake of understanding. Realism is based on the thinking of Aristotle. 35Now Boodin’s attitude in “Pragmatic Realism” was, as we have seen, non-metaphysical. he provides the reader with the following picture: Boodin is extremely enthusiastic about the prospects of this whole enterprise. Though they have different approaches, there are some important similarities between the two as well. (Nelson 1984: 137), 3In 1897, Boodin eventually entered Harvard (on a Hopkins scholarship). The ultimate … According to Pihlström, Boodin was of the opinion “that his work and training on his home farm with intimate contact with nature may have made him an ‘empirical realist’” (Pihlström 2010: 6). As Sellars makes it clear in his, (1922), the critical realist “is very sympathetic with the position of the pragmatist, albeit he thinks that many pragmatists are too utilitarian and do not value enough, or sufficiently admit, a theoretical interest in knowledge” (Sellars 1922: 55-6). It is a place where everybody has something to do. His main target in “Functional Realism” is George Santayana’s Skepticism and Animal Faith from 1923 (see Boodin 1934: 149-57). Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License; (philosophy) An advocate of realism; one who believes that matter, objects etc. It is apparent that Boodin seeks some sort of “idealized” as well as “humanized” conception of reality and truth. Thus, in section 2 of this paper, I shall provide some information concerning Boodin’s life and work, and, in section 3, I shall reflect on the philosophical situation in the United States during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Boodin 1916: 33). Besides idealism, neo-realism, and pragmatism there existed a further influential movement, namely so-called, realism. In some cases, even nowadays it is unclear, where exactly pragmatism and realism part their ways (see in this connection, for example, the writings of the late Hilary Putnam). (Boodin 1939: 56), 6Whether Boodin’s specific variant of philosophical thinking should be seen as an expression of “European pragmatism” is hard to say. Thus “pragmatic” realism should be seen as an independent variant within the realist camp. “Truth in science is what gives us the maximum possible sum of satisfaction, taste included, but consistency both with previous truth and with novel fact is always the most imperious claimant.” (Ibid. Online: [journals.openedition.org/ejpap/945]. in pragmatism. At any rate, Boodin starts his article with the following characterization: In the first place, pragmatism as a doctrine is so simple and so old as a matter of scientific procedure that it is impossible to understand why so much dust should have been raised about it by its opponents. Boodin knew no English when he arrived in Colchester, Illinois, in 1887. He obviously knew of Peirce’s 1905 contribution for The Monist (Peirce’s paper had the title “What Pragmatism Is”). Realism on the other hand deals with the fact that reality has an absolute existence independent from … 1910: 396). Both approaches promise much. 1910: 394). Inq. 17 In his Pragmatism, James explicitly states that „[t]ruth happens to an idea. 2John Elof Boodin was born in Pjätteryd, Småland (Southern Sweden), in 1869. Randall John H., (1966), “Josiah Royce and American Idealism,” The Journal of Philosophy, 63, 57-83. “Why,” he asks, “should a man’s soul be crowded into one system of philosophy?” (1908: 302). 22As Boodin further makes it clear, the pragmatist holds that the truth of a hypothesis stands in close connection to human habit and conduct. […] If we, however, regard the universe under the conception of plural energetic centers, which can figure in various contexts, including our cognitive context, and some at least as having meaning of their own and capable of entering into cognitive relations with us; and if, furthermore, we regard cognitive purposes as themselves energies, evolving in complexity with, and having survival value through, their control of other energies, such as the physiological, then the paradox is resolved […]. It is simply the application of the ordinary method of the scientific testing of an hypothesis to philosophic hypotheses as well. Hibbert Lectures at Manchester College on the Present Situation in Philosophy, A History of Philosophy in America, 1720-2000, Mind and the World Order: Outline of Theory of Knowledge, Arthur O., (1908), “The Thirteen Pragmatisms,”. 7Boodin published eight books and more than sixty articles for journals, both in the field of theoretical philosophy (which concerns us here) and in the field of practical philosophy. But for all that I can not agree with or accept the philosophy of the great Harvard Professor, and I go so far as to look upon its wide acceptance as a symptom of the immaturity and naivite that obtains sometimes even in the professional circles of our universities. , Boodin delivered a couple of programmatic clarifications. The ultimate reality is the world of physical objects. either in spirit or method” (1916: ix-x). Boodin 1911b: 58) as well as from his focusing on the pragmatic element in knowledge. Boodin does not refer to James’s lecture series in his paper, but he mentions the latter’s “favorite principle of pragmatism” (Boodin 1908: 305). There, he primarily studied with the American idealist Josiah Royce and came in closer (friendship-like) contact with James. Accordingly, metaphysics “implies, and furnishes the inspirations of, the special sciences”, . Interestingly enough, the dedication of that book reads as follows: “To my friend and teacher William James, not the late but the ever living and inspiring genius of American philosophy, this book is affectionately dedicated.” The five years later published, , then, is dedicated to “my friend and teacher Josiah Royce.” In programmatic terms, Boodin argues in that book for what he now calls “pragmatic energism” (see Boodin 1916, esp. 6. His major contributions to theoretical philosophy are the following: the 1911 book, , Boodin explicitly argues for what he calls “pragmatic realism” (see Boodin 1911a, esp. It should be noted that Ostwald – unlike Boodin – not only rejected materialism, but also atomism. And he did not remain unrecognized. I do not know of any striving for truth which is not realistic in this sense. (Boodin 1910: 602-3). European PragmatismBetween Pragmatism and Realism. James’s books and articles published during the first decade of the twentieth century contain many realistic tendencies, and not less than seven of the leading realists – Drake, Montague, Perry, Pratt, Santayana, Sellars, and Strong – have repeatedly stated that their philosophical position was determined by James.” (Werkmeister 1949: 371). Be that as it may, the particularly realistic element in Boodin’s approach to pragmatism had obviously to do with his European, Swedish, roots. Thus, in section 2 of this paper, I shall provide some information concerning Boodin’s life and work, and, in section 3, I shall reflect on the philosophical situation in the United States during the first two decades of the twentieth century. It was particularly Sellars who, in his Evolutionary Naturalism, insisted upon the interrelatedness of physical objects, perceiving organisms and their environment.21 Furthermore, the entire functional idea is obviously prefigured in Sellars’s writings. Rather, things possess properties “only within a system, and such properties vary with the conditions which determine the system” (1916: 35). Boodin therefore declares: “We must hold to the pragmatic postulate that energy is what it does.” (Ibid.). Nor do physical things have properties in themselves. It will be shown that Boodin’s work underwent a development from a more or less direct form of pragmatism to a certain variant of realism, which Boodin himself called “functional” realism. However, Carus’s own philosophical outlook was that of a Spinozist and a Buddhist (cf. by the assertion that: To be means simply to express, to embody the complete internal meaning of a certain absolute system of ideas, – a system, moreover, which is genuinely implied in the true internal meaning of purpose of every finite idea, however fragmentary.” (Royce 1900, 36). At the same time he speaks of “my friend Royce” (1908: 303), mentions the latter’s “absolute idealism” (1908: 300) and suggests that “[i]deals may prove truer than facts”, . Lewis Clarence I., (1929), Mind and the World Order: Outline of Theory of Knowledge, New York, Scribner’s. Furthermore, he participated in the department Philosophy Club. As, on the other hand, Werkmeister makes it particularly clear, Royce’s variant of idealism was by no means the only idealistic statement at that time. Thus in 1920 they published their, , which was subtitled “A Cooperative Study of the Problem of Knowledge.”. One who believes in seeing things the way they really are, as opposed to how they would like them to be. by the assertion that: To be means simply to express, to embody the complete internal meaning of a certain absolute system of ideas, – a system, moreover, which is genuinely implied in the true internal meaning of purpose of every finite idea, however fragmentary.” (Royce 1900, 36). Few great reformations have been original, to any great extent, in their intellectual content. 19It was certainly this very passage that provoked the following critical comment by the journal’s editors: Pragmatism is the latest philosophical movement which is at present sweeping over the country, and the foregoing article by Professor Boodin may be taken as a typical instance of the philosophic temperament that is at present in the ascendancy. Realism looks at the stage as it is set in the world and goes through scenarios based on risk, reward and based on outcomes: the essenti. How will the truth be realized?’” (James 2017[ 1907]: 74). Boodin transferred his college studies to the University of Minnesota and made acquaintance with the work of William James. Yet, the philosophical scenario in the 1910s and 1920s was quite complex. Let us now make a time jump to 1934. ch. In order to adequately understand this shift in philosophical perspective, it is important to take into account both Boodin’s intellectual socialization in the United States and the surrounding philosophical context. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/ejpap/1547; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/ejpap.1547, Universität Tübingenmatthias.neuber[at]uni-tuebingen.de. We must interpolate, somehow, realities which are not immediate experience.” (1916: 20). He argued: An hypothesis, whether of atoms or morals, God or devil, is true because it works. Metaphysics is science, not art.” (1916: xxi). The focus is on the body/objects. At that time, Harvard no doubt was the stronghold of (the still quite young) American philosophy. It is quite hard to understand how this should motivate a realist position. insofar as they aimed at a more reflected approach to the issue of cognition (especially perception) than our everyday’s “naïve” as well as philosophical “new” realism. We will see later why. In his own words: Realism has always insisted upon the trans-subjective reference of the cognitive meaning. Titled “Pragmatism Versus the Pragmatist,” Lovejoy’s paper may be considered as one of the most unrelenting critiques of the pragmatist point of view. For further details, see Werkmeister 1949, chapters 5-9. At that time, Harvard no doubt was the stronghold of (the still quite young) American philosophy. 16Boodin’s chronologically first publication to be considered here is a paper titled “Philosophic Tolerance. Accordingly, science, from the pragmatist point of view, is “a systematic sorting of experience in the realization of our interests” (, The following passages from James’s 1907 lecture series might corroborate this diagnosis: “Pragmati. For the time being, it is important to note that, according to Boodin, any talk of truth requires some basis in the extra-mental realm. We have at least found a motive for our ideas seeking agreement with their intended reality, for successful adjustment in the end depends upon such agreement. : 36). Dewey John, (1905), “The Realism of Pragmatism,” Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods, 2, 324-7. Longmans, Green volume the New realism, ” the Journal of Philosophy, 63, 57-83 ( 1930,... Two forms American pragmatists, Oxford, Oxford, Clarendon relapse ” to materialism inspirations were promoted his! What we must interpolate, somehow, realities which are not immediate experience. ” ( 1916: xxi.. 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