DMB, Bo, Elliot, all.
>DMB wrote:
> Perhaps you're already aware
> of the dangers inherent with the "common sense" notions of pragmatism, but
> thought it worth pointing out anyway.
The "dangers inherent in.. notions of pragmatism" are not limited to the
"common sense" variety. Indeed much of our misunderstanding, or
differences of opinion, of the MoQ may well be rooted in a
misunderstanding of pragmatism, not only by the members here; but quite
possibly by Pirsig. For pragmatism is not just about work of James and
Pierce, but is strongly prefigured by Emerson. and has waxed, waned, and
but more importantly has evolved also though the work of Dewey, Mills,
Du Bois, Hook, Niebuhr, Trilling, Quine, until the present day Neo
Pragmatists like Rorty and Putnam. Given that pragmatism was at or near
it greatest influence in American culture during formative years of
Pirsig's life it would seem reasonable that as a child of upper middle
class (pragmatism's initial target audience) parents in one of the
bastions of Midwestern liberalism (Minnesota) that he was not exposed to
it in many forms both in his education and culture whether he was
conscience of it or not.
But given its sharp decline from dominance in the 40's and 50's and it
being primarily an American phenomena the exposure either though
education or cultural osmosis by the people here is likely to be much
more limited. Myself included.
3WD
PS. An interesting aside- A series of essays by Richard Rorty written
from 1972 to 1980 and complied and publish in 1981 under the title of
"Consequences of Pragmatism" was published by the University of
Minnesota Press.
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