Knowledge, Behavior And Valuation

Pragmatism is one of the important theories in America of 20 century, even as in the whole modern western philosophic region. It mainly holds the position of empiricism, humanism and utilitarianism to discuss knowledge , behavior, valuation and the relation of them. It regards human as the initiative being , that pursue and control themselves future at the respect of valuation. Although there are many difference among the pragmatists, including personalities, interesting, methods of solving problem, and etc, their comprehension to knowledge is inconsistent——they all relate knowledge with valuation and think that knowledge can lead the behavior to success, so it has pragmatic valuation. Knowledge can guide human's behavior to get some desired results, so it has value. The value doesn't come from itself but from its effect to living and doing. Therefore pragmatism advices to be tolerant and pluralistic towards other views. It encourages us to do more successful discuss on philosophy at this times, that plays a position role not only to our reason but also to our practice. After the nineties of 20 century, traditional pragmatism gradually went downhill. Because it laid too particular stress on society, politics, ethics and education, meanwhile ignores mathematics and natural science. So with the development of mathematic logic, relativity and quantum mechanics, pragmatism seemed fall behind the times. On the other side, from thirties, logic positivism entered America and began to push pragmatism aside the leading position. As a result, some American philosophers who believe in pragmatism absorbed logic positivists'attitudes on distinct way, and combined these attitudes with themselves theory. Lewis·Clarence Iving is just important delegate of them. On one side, he inherits the tradition of pragmatism, on the other side , he emphasizes the effect to philosophy from logic and mathematics. His emphasis on mathematical logic, meaning theory and experience verify theory, which makes up pragmatic insufficience. Basically Lewis is a pragmatist. He inherits the fundamental mind of Perls, James and Duwe, especially Perls. His theory mainly concentrates on logic, theory of knowledge and axiology, of them theory of knowledge is his most interested problem. He thinks that knowledge is related with behavior and valuation, and knowledge have valuation and function, and its valuaion just lies in leading behavior to success. In Analysis of Knowledge and Valuation he says, the essence of knowledge, behavior and valuation is connected. The chief and total meaning of knowledge is its guidance to doing. Knowing is for doing, and doing obviously origins from valuation. The marked efficacy of knowledge is that it can improve the fate of human being. In experience it can help us to achieve goodness and avoid evilness. Meanwhile, Lewis'theory has itself characteristic. It brings a priori conception of Kant into his pragmatism philosophic system, which has been abandoned by traditional pragmatists. Conceptualistic pragmatism comes into being result. Lewis pays attention to effect of knowledge from conception and category, and maintains the select about them should be on the basis of pragmatics. To a certain extent, his theory recifies James and Duwe's ignore to conception and category and their one-sideness. Lewis thinks that experience knowledge come...