William
James
1842-1910
Pragmatism
To
begin with our knowledge grows in spots. ..What you first gain, ... is probably
a small amount of new information, a few new definitions, or distinctions, or
points of view. But while these special ideas are being added, the rest of your
knowledge stands still, and only gradually will you line up your previous
opinions with the novelties I am trying to instill, and to modify to some
slight degree their mass. ..Your mind in such processes is strained, and
sometimes painfully so, between its older beliefs and the novelties which
experience brings along.
William James posits that learning is a continuous process from birth to death. He emphasizes the essence of keeping the old learning while opening your mind to new knowledge; so that one would be able to become a knowledgeable person.
TumugonBurahin