American philosophy, John Dewey, pragmatism, neopragmatism, media and technology, Charles S. Peirce, Richard Rorty

topicos41

by Paniel Reyes Cardenas

Review: Robert B. Talisse: "Democracy and Moral Conflict:, Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press 2009, 206 pp. published in: Topicos, Journal of Philosophy, p. 333-339

Review of Talisse's book, find it from p. 333 to 339 Review of Talisse's book, find it from p. 333 to 339

Richard Rorty : un pragmatisme inachevé

by roberto frega

Ch. 10 of  S. Laugier, S. Plaud, (eds.), Lectures de la philosophie analytique, Ellipses, Paris, 2011.

Towards a cyber-semiotic foundation of a scientifically adequate Functional Discourse Grammar

by Ole Nedergaard Thomsen

Abstract proposal for a paper within our project on Cybersemiotics and Functional Linguistics (esp., Functional Discourse Grammar and Distributed Language Theory).
Co-authored with Søren Brier, Dec. 2011.
Comments welcome

In this paper we shall try to give a foundation for a scientifically adequate Functional Discourse Grammar. By the... more In this paper we shall try to give a foundation for a scientifically adequate Functional Discourse Grammar. By the term ’scientific adequacy’ Functional Grammar’s original types of adequacy, inherited by Functional Discourse Grammar, have been generalized: typological, psychological, and pragmatic, for we believe that a lot more has to be involved in scientific model building. Firstly, scientific adequacy will involve observational and descriptive adequacy, in addition to Functional Discourse Grammar’s adequacies. The former, observational adequacy, will deal with the problem of observing natural language and language use (e.g., ’the observer’s paradox’ of how to obtain samples of natural, vernacular speech, not distorted by observation), but in the first place we have to determine what counts as a linguistic observation (what is observed?). Then, how many and what kinds of observations do we need, for them to be representative of the whole population? Descriptive adequacy will have to define types of scientific model building – e.g., will a symbolic-diagrammatic description be adequate (e.g., Functional Discourse Grammar’s formulae and flow diagrams)? or should we use a connectionist, neural network model? – clearly the answers depend on (the type or aspect of) the observandum we are interested in, and on which aspects of it we abstract away, or on which level of granularity is needed (e.g., minute real-time factors in some topics of psycholinguistics).

With respect to explanatory (typological, psychological, and pragmatic) adequacy, we propose that Functional Discourse Grammar’s model of verbal language must be given a cyber-semiotic foundation (Brier 2008), and by this we mean, on the one hand, a cognitive (’second-order cybernetics’) and, on the other, a semiotic foundation. Cyber-semiotics implies that linguistic communication, the Natural Language User, and language (observandum) be investigated (trans- and inter-disciplinarily) in four irreducible dimensions (the ‘cybersemiotic star model’), viz., 1. as part of the physical world (perceptibe signs), 2. as part of the biological world (neurological-physiological embodiment), 3. as part of the psychological world (cognitive and phenomenological substrate), and 4. as part of the social world (socio-cultural situatedness). The four explanatory dimensions are not disparate, but complementary and united by a conception of ’absolute naturalism’, that is, that they all are integrated aspects of the natural world.

Cyber-semiotics is an evolutionary theory. Thus, we focus on language and linguistic communication as evolutionary phenomena. This may be self-evident but implies that a model of (a) language and of the Natural Language User (linguistic cyborg) should always ultimately be seen in this perspective, which again means that the model views (verbal) language as an integrated part of ’total integrated evolutionary multimodal communication’, involving, i.a., co-produced gesture.
The evolutionary perspective has the ramification that a Functional Discourse Grammar should be seen (at least) in the temporal perspective of: 1. the evolution of (human) language in the species, 2. the history of the speech tradition of a given speech community, and 3. the development of the language(s) of the individual Natural Language User (i.a. first-language acquisition, second-language acquisition, language loss, language impairment), as well as 4. the on-line incremental development of a given communication.


Keywords: Cybersemiotics, Functional Discourse Grammar, Functional Grammar, Natural Language User, linguistic cyborg, scientific adequacy: observational adequacy, descriptive adequacy, explanatory adequacy: psychological adequacy, pragmatic adequacy, typological adequacy, transdisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, the cybersemiotic star model: physical dimension, biological dimension, psychological dimension, sociological dimension; total integrated evolutionary multimodal communication

Beyond Moral Disagreement: On Neopragmatist Accounts About Reason and Democracy

by Paolo Monti

Forthcoming 2012

Neo-pragmatist Philosophy of Education

by Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast

A Reconstruction of Freedom in the Age of Neuroscience: A View from Neuropragmatism

by Tibor Solymosi

Contemporary Pragmatism, June 2011, 8:1, 153–171

I argue that classical pragmatism, with its emphasis on experimental method, has resurged explicitly in neopragmatism... more I argue that classical pragmatism, with its emphasis on experimental method, has resurged explicitly in neopragmatism and implicitly in neurophilosophy – both of which are impoverished because of their neglect of experimental method. Since philosophical work is already being done by neuro-enthusiasists, most of whom lack philosophical training, there is a growing tendency toward ‘neurobabble’ and fear of science. Neuropragmatism aims at critiquing both the emerging “neuro culture” and the promise of neuroscience for achieving our ideals. I use the case of free will as an introductory example of how this reconstruction can go about. Instead of asking whether neuroscience (or any science) tells us whether or not we have free will, we neuropragmatists ask “how does freedom work?”

"John Dewey's Turkish Tragedy"

by Shaun ODwyer

Holocaust and Genocide Studies 25, 3, Winter 2011

In the summer of 1924, American philosopher and education theorist John Dewey travelled to Turkey to advise the... more In the summer of 1924, American philosopher and education theorist John Dewey travelled to Turkey to advise the Turkish government on the development of a new, secular education system. Dewey later wrote five articles for the New Republic on political and educational affairs in Turkey; one of them, “The Turkish Tragedy,” alluded to the deportations and massacres of the Armenians in 1915–1916 and insinuated that alleged Armenian treachery and atrocities had provoked them. This article explains how and why this influential intellectual compromised his own high epistemic standards and morally mitigated Turkish responsibility for the Armenian Genocide.

Reconciling the varieties of Pragmatism in Public Administration

by Patricia Shields

Co-authored with Travis Whetsell
Published in Administration & Society. 2011 43(4): 474-483.

Pragmatism has become a topic of growing discussion in public administration, as demonstrated by ongoing debate within... more Pragmatism has become a topic of growing discussion in public administration, as demonstrated by ongoing debate within the pages of Administration & Society. Karen Evans recently argued that the pervasive influence of logical positivism has produced a public administration, dominated by an ethically vacuous overemphasis on efficiency. Keith Snider recently responded to Evans by pointing toward confusion arising from debates between competing varieties of pragmatism, arguing that calls for pragmatism may produce unintended consequences under the present paradigm. However, this debate has the potential to produce a more intellectually experienced and mature public administration. Moreover, American pragmatism is uniquely appropriate as a philosophy of public administration in its dual academic/practitioner roles.

Can Dewey, Skinner and Piaget Co-Exist?

by David Velky

This is a philosophy of education written within the context of a doctoral course on Leadership. It draws meaning from the conceptual framework of Constructivism as applied to K-12 education. Comments and recommendations from other scholars in the field are welcomed. Contact David Velky at david.velky@swtexas.net .

The twentieth century is often viewed as a virtual battleground between behavioral  and cognitive psychology. In... more The twentieth century is often viewed as a virtual battleground between behavioral  and cognitive psychology. In terms of educational practices, the battle appears to have been won by constructivism, a theoretical framework that perceives knowledge as being the result of interaction between the knower and his or her environment. This philosophy of education acknowledges the contributions that behaviorism has made to the field of education; however, it embraces a constructivist theory of learning combined with a pragmatic social orientation that seeks positive social change. An examination of the contrast between behaviorism and constructivism in the literature leads to the conclusion that the dispositions promulgated by the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership are best attained within a constructivist theoretical framework.

A philippic against the linguistification of pragmatism

by David Hildebrand

"Avoiding Wrong Turns: A Philippic Against The Linguistification of Pragmatism." In Dewey, Pragmatism, and... more "Avoiding Wrong Turns: A Philippic Against The Linguistification of Pragmatism." In Dewey, Pragmatism, and Economic Methodology. Edited by Elias L. Khalil. London: Routledge. 2004. There is a general consensus that pragmatism’s twenty-year renaissance produced two readily identifiable versions. One is typically called "classic" pragmatism, while the other goes by several names: "neopragmatism," "postmodern pragmatism," and "linguistic pragmatism." To assess this newer form of pragmatism three issues are addressed: (1) How did linguistic pragmatism "update" classical pragmatism (especially Deweyan pragmatism)? (2) Why does linguistic pragmatism reject "experience" as a useful philosophical notion? Finally, (3) How is linguistic pragmatism wrong about "experience"? Answering those questions upholds a more general conclusion, namely that experience is methodologically inseparable from pragmatism and so is integral to pragmatism’s vitality—to its ability to evolve with and make a difference in the world. It is thus pragmatism’s experimental and experiential starting point—not it’s recent and fashionable association with postmodernism—that best explains a renewed and enduring enthusiasm for it. In sum, linguistic pragmatism may neglect or extirpate experience from pragmatism only at the terrible cost of rendering it philosophically impotent and practically unpopular.