AN IDEALISTIC PRAGMATISM

AN IDEALISTIC PRAGMATISM

AN IDEALISTIC PRAGMATISM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRAGMATIC ELEMENT IN THE pmlosophy OF JOSIAH ROYCE by MARY BRIODY MAHOWALD MARTINUS NIJHOFF /THE HAGUE/ 1972

1972 by Martinus Nijhojf, The Hague, Netherlands All rights reserved, including the right to translate or to reproduce this book or parts thereof in any form ISBN-13: 978-90-247-1184-0 DOl: 10.1007/978-94-010-2736-6 e-isbn-13: 978-94-010-2736-6

PREFACE When I first became acquainted with the thought of the American philosopher Josiah Royce, two factors particularly intrigued me. The first was Royce's claim that the notion of community was his main metaphysical tenet; the second was his close association with the two American pragmatists, Charles Sanders Peirce and William James. Regarding the first factor, I was struck by the fact that a philosopher who died in 1916 should emphasize a topic of such contemporary significance not only in philosophy but in so many other vital fields as well (sociology, psychology, politics, theology - to name only a few). Regarding the second, I was curious as to whether the pragmatism of Peirce and James might have influenced Royce during the course of their professional and personal contacts. Similarly, I wondered whether the idealism of Royce might have affected the thought of Peirce and James. To have appeased my curiosity in regard to all three thinkers, however, would have required (at least) three books. As a start I have now appeased it in regard to one. In researching the writings of Royce I found my way to the Houghton Library and to the Archives of Harvard University at Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the unpublished manuscripts of Royce are preserved. (No editing job has yet been done on this bulk of material, though such would certainly be a welcome contribution to American philosophy.) Since Volumes 1 through 52 are for the most part the manuscripts of Royce's published books and articles, my time at Harvard was spent mostly on Volumes 53 through 98. While I found no startling divergence from Royce's published positions in the unpublished material, I was able, by researching the latter, to discover certain texts more suited to the purpose of this study. On one point in particular (the social aspect ofthe knowing process), I found a great deal more material in the unpublished writings than in the published works. On the whole, the access to both published and unpublished sources lent more cogency to basic evaluations of the thought of Royce.

VI PREFACE In pursuing the topic which titles and subtitles this work I have also explored Royce's notion of community to the extent of having become greatly appreciative of the contemporary relevance of his philosophy. As a result, the present resurgence of interest in the works of Royce seems more than justified. I delight that some of the vital insights of this American thinker are being shared today to a greater extent than ever before. My hope is that they be shared throughout our country and our world not only theoretically but practically as well.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My sincere thanks to the philosophy faculty of Marquette University, particularly Dr. Beatrice Zedler, Dr. Paul Byrne and Dr. Joseph O'Malley, for their interest and assistance in preparing this work. I am also indebted to Dr. John McDermott of Queens College of the City University of New York and to Rev. Frank Oppenheim, S.J., of Xavier University for their sharing of ideas in regard to the project. Finally, I am deeply grateful to many unnamed friends whose encouragement "energized" me throughout the undertaking.

KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS The following is an alphabetical listing of the abbreviations used in the Notes. Publication information is given in the first reference to each work. CG The Conception of God CI The Conception of immortality CP Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce EP "The Eternal and the Practical" FE Fugitive Essays HGC The Hope of the Great Community 1m "Immortality" LMI Lectures on Modern Idealism MHS "The Mechanical, the Historical and the Statistical" M&R "Mind and Reality" OP Outlines of Psychology PC The Problem of Christianity PL The Philosophy of Loyalty Prag Pragmatism and Four Essay from the Meaning of Truth RAP The Religious Aspect of Philosophy SRI The Sources of Religious Insight War Ward and Insurance WI The World and the Individual WJO William James and Other Essays on the Philosophy of Life wvc "What is Vital in Christianity?"

CONTENTS Preface Acknowledgments v VII INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I: PROPAEDEUTIC TO A STUDY OF ROYCE A. The nature of Royce's idealism B. The religious content of Royce's thought C. The empirical grounding of Royce's philosophy CHAPTER II: POSSIBILITIES FOR A ROYCEAN PRAGMATISM A. The pragmatists that influenced Royce B. The notions of pragmatism that influenced Royce C. A pragmatism consistent with idealism 3 3 7 10 15 17 20 25 PART ONE THE EARLY ROYCE (c. 1875-90) CHAPTER III: HIS THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE 31 A. Royce's early stress on the practical purposefulness of all speculation 31 B. The usefulness of doubt and postulate in philosophizing 34 C. The limited function of verification and the role of insight 37 D. The relativity oftruth and error 40 CHAPTER IV: HIS NOTION OF THE ABSOLUTE 43 A. The function of belief, its origin and constitution 43 B. The Absolute Thought, perfectly fulfilling experience 48 C. The Universal Will, aiming at organization of experience 51 D. The relationship of the Absolute to the problem of evil 53

x CONTENTS CHAPTER V: HIS CONCEPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL A. Meaning, worth, and importance of the individual B. A practical answer to individualism C. The nature and significance of progress for the individual 57 57 61 64 PART TWO THE MIDDLE PERIOD (c. 1890-1906) CHAPTER VI: THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE PRAGMATICALLY ALLIED WITH DOCTRINE OF INTERPRETATION A. Other theories of being as interpretations B. The synthetic view of Royce C. The essentially social character of the knowing process 71 72 75 78 CHAPTER VII: NOTION OF THE ABSOLUTE MORE PRAGMATICALLY ORIENTATED 86 A. An explanation and definition of God in terms of Experience 87 B. The relation of will to the Absolute 92 C. The union between God and man 96 CHAPTER VIII: CoNCEPTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL PRAGMATICALLY LEADS TO CoNSIDERATION OF CoMMUNITY 101 A. Royce's conception of the self B. Love as the principle of individuation C. Freedom and responsibility of the self D. Community as fulfilling the individual 101 104 107 110 PART THREE THE MATURE ROYCE (c. 1906-16) CHAPTER IX: KNOWLEDGE BY INTERPRETATION, A MEDIATING PRIN CIPLE A. Perception, conception, and interpretation B. The community of interpretation C. The role of the mediator 119 119 124 128

CONTENTS CHAPTER X: GOD AS PRAGMATIC POSTULATE A. The Absolute, filling our need for Truth, Reality, and a Cause B. Solving the religious paradox C. Christianity as interpretation of man's experience CHAPTER XI: COMMUNITY AS PERFECTIVE OF THE INDIVIDUAL A. Community in general B. Community as end: the Beloved Community C. Communities as means XI 133 134 138 140 149 151 153 155 CONCLUSION CHAPTER XII: THE ROYCEAN PRAGMATIC A. Recapitulation B. Critique C. Result Bibliography Index 167 167 171 173 177 183