Pragmatism

Richard Rorty's passing and Grumunkin's belated setting out of his stall, have prompted me to wonder if I might be able to begin clarifying my own evolving philosophical position on these spindrift pages.

What I start from is an almost visceral loathing of positivism, analytical philosophy and all the other manifestations of the reductionist critique that seemed almost to dominate that 20th century, and held that "propositions" that had possessed the best and bravest thinkers for millennia were "meaningless" because they were not amenable to strict scientific method.

That said, I also resist Platonic idealism, Cartesian dualism, and Kant's categorical imperative.

(I'm entirely aware, by the way, and comfortable with the fact that most of my rejection and advocacy is based quite simply on what I find congenial.)

These days, I've set up my tent under the flag of pragmatism, and Rorty ascends to the Pantheon (other misgivings of mine notwithstanding) for dealing crisply with the notion that pragmatism is little more than a species of postivism. Follow the link if you like.

I realise that I haven't defined pragmatism or compared or contrasted it with positivism. Stay tuned. Maybe I will in future.

But then again maybe I'll just post about gardening or Thai boxing. Go figure.