On the Pragmatic Turn in Philosophy
Abstract: On a general philosophical level,pace Richard Bernstein,I argue that the target of attack of the pragmatic turn is the contemplative tradition.Aristotle was the founder of the contemplative tradition.He established a hierarchical order in the trichotomy of theory,praxis,and poiesis,emphasizing the supremacy of theory.In the process of historical evolution,the trichotomy changed into the dichotomy of theory and practice.This important conceptual change was completed in the Middle Ages.The contemplative tradition had been called into question in full scale before the postmetaphysical era in the Habermasian sense started from mid-19th century.The rise of modern science challenged the contemplative tradition,and “the victory of homo faber” embodied in the experimental method triggered a twofold reversal: the reversal of poiesis and contemplation,and the reversal of praxis and poiesis.Kant’s critical philosophy emphasizes the primacy of practical reason over theoretical reason,realizing the reversal of praxis and theory.One possible understanding of the pragmatic turn which I want to propose is as follows.(1)Revitalize the Aristotelian trichotomy,explore the theme of “the transformation and the repositioning of the trichotomy”,and examine the history of mankind from this perspective.(2)Distinguish priority in genesis and priority in value,draw insights from historical materialism,and emphasize the priority of material production (poiesis) in genesis.(3)Advocate that productive activities,practical activities and theoretical activities have equal status in value,and emphasize the relative independence and autonomy of the three kinds of activities and oppose mutual reduction between them.
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