Friday, April 13, 2012

Thoughts on Pragmatism

“For Plato, the life of Socrates did not make sense unless there was something like the idea of the Good at the end of the dialectic road.  For Dewey, the life of Socrates made sense as a symbol of a life of openness and curiosity.  It was an experimental life - the sort of life that is encouraged, and in turn encourages, the American democratic experiment.”  - Richard Rorty
It could be argued that many of the pragmatists associate with Aristotle’s philosophy.  As Nieman explains, rather than finding Truth in metaphysics, pragmatists, like Aristotle, look to the world around them to discover many truths based on perspectives.  Like Socrates, they seek the attainment of irony; continually questioning their conventions.
“(...)each is able to recognize the radical contingency of his own beliefs without engaging in the quest for certainty”  - Alven Nieman
It is becoming increasingly evident, that in order to become meaningful again, education must move away from a Platonic quest for the absolute and rather shift to a seemingly more pragmatic Aristotelian approach.  There are many perspectives, one needs only look to the world (wide web?) around them.

No comments:

Post a Comment