Good. Brooks exemplifies the mediocre level of the NYT Op Ed effort. Sadly, friends of mine quote him as their daily dose of wisdom. We have no Peirce, no Dewey, no Veblen. I still think pragmaticism is the best antidote to the devolving use of the word pragmatism. In most places these days pragmatism means practical, direct and without regard to values.
*@stephencrose <https://twitter.com/stephencrose>* On Sat, Oct 11, 2014 at 2:38 PM, Gary Richmond <gary.richm...@gmail.com> wrote: > List, > > Joseph Esposito responded to David Brooks' Oct.3 New York Times column, > "The Problem with Pragmatism," with this letter to the editor today. > http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/11/opinion/more-pragmatism-not-less.html?ref=opinion > > To the Editor: > > David Brooks paints an all too convenient caricature of American > pragmatism ("The Problem With Pragmatism > <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/opinion/david-brooks-the-problem-with-pragmatism.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A10%22%7D>," > column, Oct. 3). Even the slightest reading of Charles Peirce, William > James, John Dewey and Sidney Hook will reveal pragmatists who were > passionate about values as well as the means of realizing them in enduring > democratic social institutions. > > The problem the United States confronts in the Middle East is not > paralysis or doubt but the adherence to many years of contradictory and > self-defeating values and policies that will make matters worse. What is > needed is more pragmatism, not less. > > JOSEPH L. ESPOSITO > Tucson, Oct. 4, 2014 > > *The writer is a lawyer, philosopher and former student of Sidney Hook.* > Brooks > ' article, > http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/opinion/david-brooks-the-problem-with-pragmatism.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A10%22%7D > which quotes heavily from some of Lewis Mumford's critiques of Liberalism, > may have a different kind of Pragmatism in mind than that which Esposito > points to, perhaps what Susan Haack in *Evidence and Inquiry* terms > "vulgar Pragmatism" > (182-202) by which she means especially Richard Rorty's version. > > Apropos of the theme Brooks takes up, near the end of the chapter "Vulgar > Pragmatism: An Unedifying Prospect," she quotes Peirce as writing: ". . . > if I should ever tackle that excessively difficult problem, 'What is for > the true interest of society?' I should feel that I stood in need of a > great deal of help from the science of legitimate inferences. . ." ( > op. cit. > 201). Here, as everywhere, Peirce shows himself to be essentially a > logician. > > Best, > > Gary > > *Gary Richmond* > *Philosophy and Critical Thinking* > *Communication Studies* > *LaGuardia College of the City University of New York* > *C 745* > *718 482-5690 <718%20482-5690>* > > > ----------------------------- > PEIRCE-L subscribers: Click on "Reply List" or "Reply All" to REPLY ON > PEIRCE-L to this message. PEIRCE-L posts should go to > peirce-L@list.iupui.edu . To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message not to PEIRCE-L > but to l...@list.iupui.edu with the line "UNSubscribe PEIRCE-L" in the > BODY of the message. More at http://www.cspeirce.com/peirce-l/peirce-l.htm > . > > > > > >
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