Pragmatism And Practical Materialism

Pragmatism leads the predominant role in the 20th century among the American philosophy schools, which deeply influences the other philosophy schools as well. In some sense American spirit can be reduced to the pragmatism when it comes to the philosophic perspectives. As a whole, pragmatism emphasizes its center of human' s value, the criterion of truth as practicality and effect, the guide-line as practice and action, and the correlation between education and society, etc. All is the mirror of the spirit of the American society whose adoration to the reality, progress, science and democracy, etc. Pragmatism, the core of American culture, represents itself richly among the realms of economics, politics, education, etc. in the USA.As for pragmatism, we should make use of Marxist standpoint, viewpoints and methods so as to restudy it deeply. It is necessary to confirm the positive factors as well as to expose its limitary, partial and wrong factors and it is significant to assimilate the useful things for Marxist adherence, enrichment and development. In addition, pragmatism is some competitive philosophy in the industrial civilization of America and it played an important role in the process of American industrialization. To some degree, the study of pragmatism seriously will attribute to the liberation of thoughts and perspectives of Chinese people, the well development of our reform and opening-up, and the progress of the construction of socialism modernization.However, the study of Marxism takes on the tendency of pragmatism based upon the philosophy of pragmatism as such and some facts that even some scholars equate it with Marxism by some ways. This thesis points out that there are some consistency between pragmatism and Marxism since both of them are practical philosophy and advocate the guide-line of practice and action. Whereas they differ themselves when it comes to the perspectives of practice, the truth, the way of opposing and analyzing the traditional metaphysics, the correlation between facts and values, the way of evaluating people etc. to a certain degree so that they are two kinds of distinct practical philosophy.From the views of philosophical route, the theory of truth, ontology, and axiology, it can be concluded that:1. Pragmatism is practical idealism in essence because it violates the practical materialism on the philosophical route and principal theories.2. Pragmatism and practical materialism have some consistency in that they complete the transformation of practical philosophy.3. "Useful namely the truth" is wrong in essence. But it can play a positive role upon the process of achieving the values and the attention of mutual cognition in the formation of the truth.4. Pragmatism emphasizes the research of axiology under its former conditions. It contributed to the transformation of the philosophy of value and it will also benefit the development of Marxism in the era of economics when we make for the socialist market economy.5. Pragmatism, especially the philosophers of neo-pragmatism, regards the research of social conditions so much so that the re-presence of modern Marxism will use it for reference. It is a big problem yet a great chance for Marxists about how to develop Marxism in the socialist market economy as our true real life place. Market economy requires theory and can create theory as well in that several new theories arise in the process of market economy construction, which can afford fresh sources to develop Marxism. Thus it is necessary to take advantage of the useful achievement for the development of practical materialism inasmuch the necessity of the times and the philosophy of Marxism itself.