Podcast Summary
Applying pragmatism to business operations and finances: Embrace simplicity, precision, and real-time exchange rates for improved business performance.
Simplicity and precision in business operations, as well as managing finances across different currencies without hassle, can significantly improve performance. Mercury powers financial workflows, while Wise helps manage money globally at real-time exchange rates. In philosophy, the American tradition emphasizes compassion, courage, and a pragmatic approach to life, as exemplified by figures like Cornel West. Pragmatism, a philosophical tradition in America, centers around practice and experience rather than certainty. These concepts can be applied to various aspects of life, from business to personal growth and philosophical thought.
The role of intangibles in securing immortality for countries and communities: Pragmatism, rooted in democracy and practical judgments, offers a unique perspective for understanding America's challenges and its historical context as a settler colonial experiment.
The intangibles of science and philosophy have played a crucial role in securing immortality for countries and communities, even after material wealth has faded. John Dewey believed that democracy is the platform where humans can reach their full potential, and truth is achieved through democratic engagement and shared experiences. Pragmatism, as a philosophical tradition, offers a continuous cultural commentary on America and its challenges, particularly in the face of overwhelming suffering. Cornel West identifies with pragmatism due to its focus on practical judgments and its recognition of the importance of narrative, history, and poetry in understanding the human condition. American pragmatism emerged during the late 1800s, a time when the United States was grappling with making pluralistic liberal democracy work and dealing with the implications of Darwinism. Pragmatism, with its roots in Emerson's emphasis on the practical and self-making, provided a unique perspective for the American experience, despite its complex historical context as a settler colonial experiment.
Pragmatism: Emphasizing Futurity and Consequences: Pragmatism, an American philosophical tradition, focuses on future implications and effects, influenced by figures like Emerson, Peirce, James, and Dewey, during the US's defining period as a social form and empire, drawing from British empiricism and European intellectual developments.
Pragmatism, as a philosophical tradition originating in the United States, places a strong emphasis on futurity, consequences, and effects, rather than origins and foundations. This philosophy, influenced by figures such as Emerson, Peirce, James, and Dewey, emerged during a time when the US was defining itself as a distinct social form and empire. Pragmatism draws from various philosophical backgrounds, including British empiricism and European intellectual breakthroughs like Hegel. Its unique perspective can be attributed to America's lack of history and tradition, allowing for a highly Socratic approach to questioning authorities and starting anew. This tradition's positive features include its emphasis on possibility and futurity, but its weakness lies in the potential disregard for the importance of traditions and ways of thinking. Pragmatism's founding figures, including Peirce, James, and Dewey, are considered the pillars of American philosophy and have influenced numerous disciples and followers.
Embracing the new while respecting the old: Pragmatism encourages creating new traditions with accountability, focusing on practical applications, and valuing democratized intelligence, while acknowledging power operations and emphasizing intellectual integrity.
The concept of starting anew or making breakthroughs is not entirely novel, as it is always rooted in something preceding it. However, the energy and creativity derived from this process are essential, as the world is unfinished and unpredictable. Pragmatism, as a philosophy, encourages the sustaining of this energy and the creation of new traditions with accountability and responsibility. Pragmatism also focuses on the practical applications of ideas, rather than abstract debates, and values the democratization of critical intelligence and wisdom. It's important to remember that what works is not just determined by consequences, but also by moral and spiritual dimensions rooted in the consent of everyday people. Pragmatism acknowledges the presence of power operations but emphasizes the importance of intellectual integrity and philosophical inquiry. In essence, pragmatism advocates for a balanced approach to the new and the old, recognizing the importance of both in creating a just and democratic society.
Exploring Practical Solutions and Philosophical Insights: Shopify and Wise offer tools for simplifying business operations and managing finances, while Dostoevsky's works emphasize the importance of personal experience and belief in understanding truth.
Shopify and Wise offer practical solutions for businesses and individuals, respectively, to simplify their operations and manage finances in a flexible and efficient way. Shopify's all-in-one e-commerce platform and AI-powered helper, Shopify Magic, cater to various business stages, while Wise enables seamless international money transfers at real-time exchange rates. Beyond these practical applications, the discussion also touched upon the philosophical aspects of truth and its relation to religion. Dostoevsky's works were highlighted as offering a unique perspective on truth as an experiential and existential concept, rather than a mere epistemological or scientific one. This perspective emphasizes the importance of personal experience and the role of belief in shaping our understanding of truth and reality. Ultimately, both the practical and philosophical aspects of the conversation underscore the importance of adapting to the complexities of modern life and business, and finding tools and frameworks that help us navigate these challenges. Whether it's through the use of technology like Shopify and Wise, or through the exploration of philosophical ideas, the ability to engage with the world in a meaningful and productive way is essential for personal and collective growth.
Emphasizing Love, Solidarity, and Rejecting Hatred and Greed: Christianity and Pragmatism: Both Christianity and Pragmatism promote a perspective that values love, solidarity, and rejects hatred and greed. Jesus and Rorty emphasize community, and Rorty's deflationary conception of truth does not equate to relativism, but rather a call to stay grounded in practical contexts.
Both Christianity and pragmatism encourage a perspective that values love, solidarity, and a rejection of hatred and greed. Jesus, as a symbol of unconditional love, and Rorty, as a proponent of pragmatism, both emphasize the importance of community and moving beyond individualism. Rorty's deflationary conception of truth and rejection of the quest for certainty should not be confused with relativism. Instead, it's a call to stay grounded in concrete practices and contexts. Pragmatism encourages a contextualist approach, recognizing the importance of history and dynamic practices, while still allowing for the adjudication of better and worse interpretations of the world. Both traditions offer valuable insights, but without the impulse towards resignation or relativism that some postmodern thinkers may embrace.
Balancing skepticism and pragmatism: Recognize penultimate standards of excellence in various contexts and acknowledge our fallibility as finite beings.
While skepticism and deconstruction have their roles, they must be balanced with a pragmatic perspective that considers context and the potential consequences of ideas. Pragmatism helps us determine truth, goodness, and beauty in various contexts, such as science, art, or ethics. It's essential to recognize that different contexts have their standards of excellence and that these standards can change over time. However, not everyone may agree that these penultimate standards are enough, and the search for an ultimate measure of truth and goodness may continue. Despite this, it's crucial to acknowledge that we are fallible and finite beings and that we must learn to cope with the penultimate standards of excellence within each context. Shakespeare, LeBron James, or a scribbler - there is a difference, and understanding the context of each will help us acknowledge the excellence within them.
Dewey vs Lippmann: Faith in the People: Dewey believed in the potential of everyday people to understand the world through their local communities, while Lippmann favored expert governance due to the challenges faced by ordinary citizens.
John Dewey, a prominent philosopher and advocate for democracy, engaged in a significant dialogue with Walter Lippmann, a media theorist and writer, over the capabilities of ordinary citizens in understanding the world. Lippmann, a former democratic socialist, lost faith in the demos due to the challenges they faced, leading him to believe that experts and technocrats should govern. Dewey, however, held onto his democratic faith and believed in the potential of the average human being, emphasizing the importance of the local community as a medium for intelligence. This belief in the potential of everyday people, rooted in their ordinary experiences, was also shared by thinkers like Gilbert Keith Chesterton. Despite Dewey's anti-racist beliefs and activism, his lack of engagement with works by authors like Dostoevsky, Kafka, Chekhov, Shakespeare, and others may have hindered his understanding of complex social issues related to race and gender.
Exploring the depths of the human condition: Baldwin, Ellison, and West grappled with the human condition's darker aspects, recognizing both the potential for good and evil in people.
Both James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison, despite being black, were deeply intellectual and grappled with the human condition's darker aspects, not just because of their race. John Dewey, on the other hand, as a proponent of optimistic democratic ideas, lacked a tragic sensibility, which may have hindered his understanding of the limitations and challenges to creating the kind of society he envisioned. While Dewey believed in the potential of human beings, he did not fully acknowledge the existential and emotional challenges that come with the human condition, which are not solely social in nature. As a prophetic pragmatist, Cornel West seeks philosophical voices that embody the potential for good and evil in people, acknowledging both the potential for progress and the need to confront the wretchedness and wanderings of humanity.
Pragmatists' Commitment to Democracy: Pragmatists believe in hope and action towards democracy despite human wretchedness and challenges, emphasizing natural piety and social hope.
Despite the reality of human wretchedness and the challenges of achieving democratic ideals, there is always a "something more" that drives us towards hope and action. Pragmatist philosophers like Dewey, Rorty, and West understand the truth of pessimism but remain committed to the project of democracy. They emphasize the importance of natural piety, or acknowledging the sources of good in our lives, and social hope as a way to move towards a democratic society. Even in the face of complexity and division, the spirit of democracy and the pursuit of love, justice, and joy can lead to international solidarity and progress. While Dewey may not have offered a clear political strategy, his emphasis on Socratic humility and the recognition of our interdependence lays the foundation for a democratic society. Ultimately, the pragmatist perspective offers a way to navigate the complexities of our social world with hope and a commitment to the unfinished project of democracy.
Navigating life's limits with humor and faith: Recognize and appreciate gifts and loved ones, leave a positive impact, and find resilience, faith, and inspiration through art and music.
The tragic comic, represented by figures like Lucien, Erasmus, Ravelet, Nathaniel West, Thomas Pynchon, and Ishmael Reed, is about coming to terms with life's limits while carrying the best of one's tradition and finding faith in the face of adversity. The blues music embodies this sense of motion and dynamism, while also acknowledging the challenges and hardships of life. The interviewee emphasizes the importance of recognizing and appreciating the gifts and loved ones in our lives, and leaving a positive impact on the world around us, even in difficult times. The conversation highlights the importance of resilience, faith, and the power of art and music to sustain and inspire us.
