Situ - Theory Of Truth Under The Perspective Of Inquiry Theory

This dissertation tries to grasp the theoretical essence and practical motivation of Dewey’s pragmatism on the whole."To emphasize the practice" is the basic feature of pragmatism movement in which Dewey is the most important philosopher. Only from the perspective of theory, what pragmatism provides is a theory of truth centering on practice. But comparing with traditional western philosophy, this new theory has a distinctive motivation: to go into practice. The problem of theory and practice is the most important problem that needs to be solved in the theory of truth in pragmatism.Peirce understands the truth from the point of relation between truth and reality, James understands the truth from the point of what is useful. Different with them, Dewey understands the truth from the point of the theory about inquiry in situation. The theory about inquiry in situation is both the starting point and complete description of Dewey’s pragmatism. For Dewey, all human being’s practices can be said to be inquiry in situation. Inquiry tries to change an indeterminate situation to a determinate one. Inquiry must be in situation, situation promote and restrict inquiry. Truth is built by the inquiry in situation and is also a tool in the inquiry in situation. Inquiry in situation is continuous and moving forward, truth is facing the future.The problem of truth is related to epistemology at first. It discusses the problem whether an idea is true or not. From the point of the theory about inquiry in situation, the essence of an idea is a system of procedures of operations; it’s also a working hypothesis. The whole system of ideas is the knowledge. Human being’s system of knowledge is also built by the inquiry in situation. The basis of logic and psychology as the basis of the knowledge system is inquiry in situation. The pursuit of knowledge produces the attitude of a spectator, if we try to get rid of the attitude of a spectator, we should come back to the inquiry in situation. The problem of truth is also related to ontology. It discusses the truth in being and nature. Influenced by Darwin, Dewey accepts the conception of evolution and changes it into the conception of growth. We can understand the continuity of inquiry in situation through the conception of growth. Inquiry is a natural event, situation becomes nature. Dewey’s naturism is the metaphysics of situation. In this metaphysics, the original experience is the starting point, it expands to nature, it itself is nature. Dewey’s conception of organism is very original in the sense that it is not separated from its environment. The growth of an organism is a natural event, it is in nature. With regarding to time, Dewey thinks that the essence of time is inquiry in situation. Time is practice; it both restricts and promotes practice.The problem of truth is also related to life and society. It discusses the truth in action. All inquiries are in community, the community is also established by the inquiry. The ideal community both restricts and promotes inquiry. Value arouses inquiry, inquiry establishes value, and in this sense the value is not separated from the fact. Inquiry establishing value, this is ethical action. Inquiry in situation is the essence of art. Idea, technology, fine arts, society are products of different arts. The conception of democracy and freedom can be grasped from the point of function of a community; it means that the basis of democracy and freedom is people’s associated action. People’s associated action is a kind of inquiry in situation from the perspective of the community. Individual is not separated from society.In general, there are three meanings of truth in pragmatism:truth in idea, truth in action, and truth in growth. The meaning of truth in growth can include the previous two kinds of truth; it is complete description of pragmatism’s theory of truth. The theory of truth in the sense of growth will provide a new philosophy. To establish the invariable "Dao" on the basis of pragmatism’s theory of truth is a possible moving forward for pragmatism.