Pragmatism, cognitive capacity and brain function

Jay Schulkin

pp. 71-102

in: Tibor Solymosi, John Shook (eds), Neuroscience, neurophilosophy and pragmatism, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014

Abstract

Classical pragmatism understood that human action is replete with m eaning and purpose; problem solving is continuous with adaptation; philosophy is continuous with, but not reduced to, science, but s elf-corrective inquiry is at the heart of the naturalizing self-correction and problem solving.¹ An appreciation of nature, in addition to human meaning bound with human community, scientific and otherwise, reveals the importance of classical pragmatism. In addition, an understanding of common sense "critical realism"² is key to classical pragmatism, meaning abstractions are not considered more real than the objects encountered, and staying anchored to objects was of great importance.