Essays in Experimental Logic

society, culture, philosophy, science, social · EN

In this groundbreaking collection of essays, renowned American philosopher John Dewey explores the limitations of idealistic, realistic, and analytic schools of thought, emphasizing the importance of a pragmatic and experimental approach to understanding experience. Unlike the abstract theorizing of coherentist and correspondence theories of logic, Dewey champions a perspective rooted in the tangible realities of science and everyday life. His insightful introduction lays the foundation for the naturalistic and process-oriented metaphysics that he elaborates on in later works like Experience and Nature and Logic The Theory of Inquiry. Chapters 3-6 provide a critical examination of the idealistic logic prevalent in his era, with a focused critique of the German logician Hermann Lotze. In Chapters 7-8, Dewey distinguishes between mere acquaintance with the external world and a deeper understanding of it. He presents a logic deeply intertwined with the concrete interactions of organisms w