Pragmatism in America ---Philosophical Tips for Better Understanding America（3）

Front Cover Picture: John Dewey

Continued from (2)

Pouring much energey into transformin the tradition od empiricism

It is not an overstatement to say that pragmatism has expended considerable energy in transforming the tradition of empiricism. Naturally, such an active form of empiricism confronts various phenomena in the real world. Moreover, rather than simply accepting, it accumulates knowledge actively through inquiry, aiming to understand relative rather than absolute aspects. It is quite natural that differences of opinion arose from the outset, considering pragmatism as a diverse and heterogeneous school of thinking, lacking any strict doctrines, ideologies, or party lines. Therefore, even Peirce and James had discrepancies in their respective assertions, with Peirce reportedly disliking the term "pragmatism" used by James and preferring to use "pragmaticism."

Such diversity and relativity can be seen as a distinctly American characteristic that has naturally emerged in American society. Based on this characteristic, it seems that social orders have been formed to address the ever-changing reality. From the perspective of societies lacking diversity, this may cause a sense of discomfort, but the world is increasingly moving towards greater diversity. It seems not coincidental that pragmatism regained prominence since the 1980s when globalization, characterized by diversity and relativity, began to take center stage.

The influence of pragmatism throuout America

In this way, the influence of pragmatism is felt throughout America.　Naturally, it is reflected not only in kindergarten through 12th-grade education but also in higher education and beyond. To illustrate, every year, Science Olympiad is held in the United States, which is truly a comprehensive science competition that embodies pragmatism. With a wide variety of events and diverse content, participants must utilize their inquiry skills to analyze and solve specific challenges and produce results. Various events are prepared, including Forensics, Bridge Building, Wind Power, and Write it Do it.

Participants, while grappling with specific challenges, must repeatedly experiment and present concrete results based on the most workable hypotheses generated during the process. Their inquiry, action, and creativity are put to the test. The team that presents the most workable model emerges victorious, as specific results are assessed. This indeed requires the abilities needed for the development of next-generation advanced technologies. Problems focusing solely on mathematics, physics, chemistry, or biology are not presented. Instead, questions are posed that require collaboration not only among the so-called science subjects but also with knowledge from humanities and social sciences.

America is undoubtedly a hub for such collaboration-based advanced research. It seems that the tradition of pragmatism also permeates these advanced studies. It's worth experiencing for young people in Japan. Winning schools are not only prestigious prep schools aimed at renowned universities but also schools with active extracurricular activities like Steven High School, Solon High School, Mason High School, and Troy High School.

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[vi] Karl Popper’s All Life is Problem Solving (1999), p.72: "I have refuted classical empiricism - the bucket theory of the mind that we obtain knowledge just by opening our eyes and letting the sense-given or god-given ‘data’ stream into a brain that will digest them."