Question:
“The true', to put it very briefly, is only the expedient in the way of our thinking, just as 'the right' is only the expedient in the way of our behaving. Expedient in almost any fashion; and expedient in the long run and on the whole, of course.” Which one of the following philosophers claims this?
“The true', to put it very briefly, is only the expedient in the way of our thinking, just as 'the right' is only the expedient in the way of our behaving. Expedient in almost any fashion; and expedient in the long run and on the whole, of course.” Which one of the following philosophers claims this?
Show Hint
For philosophical quotes, identify the school of thought and match it to the philosopher's main ideas.
Updated On: Jan 24, 2025
- William James
- John Dewey
- Richard Rorty
- C. S. Peirce
Hide Solution
Verified By Collegedunia
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
This quote reflects the core idea of William James's pragmatism, where truth and rightness are defined in terms of their practical utility or expediency.
Key points:
1. William James: He proposed that the concept of "truth" is not absolute but is verified through its practical consequences and usefulness in guiding human thought and action.
2. Explanation of the statement: - "The true is only the expedient in the way of our thinking": Truth is what works best in the context of our intellectual and practical endeavors.
- "The right is only the expedient in the way of our behaving": Ethical correctness is judged by its functionality in achieving desirable outcomes.
3. Incorrect options: - (B) John Dewey: A pragmatist, but his focus was more on education and democratic ideals than the specific formulation of truth in James’s terms.
- (C) Richard Rorty: A neo-pragmatist, but this specific concept of truth was formulated by James.
- (D) C. S. Peirce: A founder of pragmatism, but his approach to truth emphasized long-term convergence of belief rather than expediency in action.
Thus, the correct answer is (A) William James.
Key points:
1. William James: He proposed that the concept of "truth" is not absolute but is verified through its practical consequences and usefulness in guiding human thought and action.
2. Explanation of the statement: - "The true is only the expedient in the way of our thinking": Truth is what works best in the context of our intellectual and practical endeavors.
- "The right is only the expedient in the way of our behaving": Ethical correctness is judged by its functionality in achieving desirable outcomes.
3. Incorrect options: - (B) John Dewey: A pragmatist, but his focus was more on education and democratic ideals than the specific formulation of truth in James’s terms.
- (C) Richard Rorty: A neo-pragmatist, but this specific concept of truth was formulated by James.
- (D) C. S. Peirce: A founder of pragmatism, but his approach to truth emphasized long-term convergence of belief rather than expediency in action.
Thus, the correct answer is (A) William James.
Was this answer helpful?
0
0
Top Questions on Philosophy
- Whose philosophy is the basis for Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW)
- The Book 'Democracy and Education' authored by
- W.V.O. Quine, in his paper, “Two Dogmas of Empiricism”, rejects the boundary between synthetic and analytic statements. Which among the following correctly depict(s) his proposal of ‘Empiricism without the Dogmas’?
- Gottlob Frege, in his paper, “On Sense and Reference”, analyses the statements, ‘a = a’ and ‘a = b’, where the reference of ‘a’ is the same as that of ‘b’. Which among the following statement(s) correctly explain(s) his conception of sense and reference?
- Which among the following statement(s) is/are in conformity with Immanuel Kant’s notion of ‘synthetic a priori knowledge’?
View More Questions
Questions Asked in GATE XH- C4 exam
Here are two analogous groups, Group-I and Group-II, that list words in their decreasing order of intensity. Identify the missing word in Group-II.
Abuse \( \rightarrow \) Insult \( \rightarrow \) Ridicule
__________ \( \rightarrow \) Praise \( \rightarrow \) Appreciate
- A car started from city P at 9:40 AM. The time taken for the car to reach city Q is 4 hours and 50 minutes. The time of arrival of the car at city Q is:
- Consider a square field ABCD. The diagonal AC is 50 meter. The cost of laying grass in the field is Rs. 5 per square-meter. The total cost for laying grass in the field ABCD is Rs. ________ (rounded off to two decimal places).
In the following figure, four overlapping shapes (rectangle, triangle, circle, and hexagon) are given. The sum of the numbers which belong to only two overlapping shapes is ________
- Many countries are facing water shortage crises in the past few years. A report of the United Nations has named India among the worst countries for poor quality of water. The report ranks 122 countries according to the quality of their water as well as their commitment to improve the situation. Some countries in Europe are considered the worst because of the quality of its groundwater. Rain failed in some parts of India in the past. The vast areas of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh were affected by severe drought. People without water turn desperate and violent. Consequently, the food godowns were attacked in some of the states. Based on the details given in the passage, which of the following option(s) is/ are correct statement(s)?
View More Questions