Critical Analysis Of Rescher's Pragmatism

Rescher’s choice for Peirce’s pragmatism stems from his opinion that Peirce’s account of pragmatism offers us a more robust tool for explanation and inquiry (or the process of knowledge) on a large-scale, and it seeks practical results that are universal and objective standards of verification of ideas or beliefs. Hence he desires to exploit the rich value of Peirce’s pragmatism to resolve epistemological problems. The question then is how does Rescher read and apply Peirce, and what does he think is original about his application that was missed by the other classical and later pragmatists? Peirce’s philosophy had an empiricist bent, with so much Kantian influence . Having laboured on the method of scientific investigation, he sought to

In his «Fixation of Belief», Peirce argues that we are instinctually wired from nature to make intelligible the reality that confronts us. This is not just a secondary need, but a basic need of man, for man’s survival. In making our reality intelligible we constantly by default seek to establish for ourselves intelligent beliefs to guide our conduct in different circumstances or social contexts. According to Peirce, our «beliefs guide our desires and shape our actions [….] The feeling of believing is a more or less sure indication of there being established in our nature some habit which will determine our actions» (CP 5.371), our belief «puts us into such a condition that we shall behave in some certain way, when the occasion arises» (CP 5.373) . The same idea is sustained by Peirce even in his later Monist articles of 1905-1906 (CP 5.510). What this entails is that Peirce consistently saw human beings as habitual creatures or rather creatures of belief-habits. We have self-ascertained habits of the way we see things and react to them. These habits become rules of action that guide our conducts and reasoning (5.397). They are habit-beliefs, which we live out daily without often being conscious of them. Beliefs, therefore, have functional or pragmatic purport. They are guides to human conduct and also the purpose of inquiry. And by extension, we can say that inquiry has a dual purpose - to establish belief and