The Century-Old Philosophy of Pragmatism Is an Existential Life Preserver
It’s an attempt to harmonize one’s life with the cruel necessities of nature
In 2010, I was 30, in the midst of my first divorce, and had just watched my estranged, alcoholic father die. During that time, I was at Harvard on a postdoc writing about the pioneering American philosopher and psychologist William James. I was supposed to be finishing a book about the salvific effects of his philosophy known as pragmatism. Instead, I was struggling just to keep going. In that dark period, life felt meaningless.
It’s a feeling that was utterly familiar to James and one that ultimately led him toward his defining ideas. The question James asked, and which pragmatism seeks to answer, is about as loaded as they come: “Is life worth living?” His answer: “Maybe.”
For some, that answer might be off-putting. But for James, whose philosophical framework was informed by a lifetime of physical and psychological duress, “maybe” was laden with possibility. “Maybe” puts the onus on each person to make good on a meaningful life — to find, but more likely to make, something of value before it’s too late.
