The products of pragmatism

Larry A. Hickman

pp. 13-24

in: Guy Debrock, Menno Hulswit (eds), Living doubt, Berlin, Springer, 1994

Abstract

Critics of the pragmatists (and of the pragmaticists, in case there has been more than one of those) seem never to have tired of accusing them of making action an end in itself. Bertrand Russell misread them in this way, accusing Dewey of subordinating knowledge to action. Russell charged pragmatism with saying "that the only essential result of successful inquiry is successful action" (Russell 1969:304). He was later joined in this mistake by members of the Frankfurt School, including Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno (Hork-heimer 1974:42ff).¹

Cited authors

Horkheimer Max

Russell Bertrand

Dewey John

Adorno Theodor