The Pragmatist Maxim and the Proof of Pragmatism

Abstract

Peirce’s pragmatic maxim has been very influential in the development of the pragmatist tradition. He claimed that his version of pragmatism was better than others because it could receive a strict proof. The paper compares some different accounts of the content of the maxim, showing that Peirce thinks we won’t know its exact content until we know how it can be proved. Against this background, I shall explore some of the ways in which he tried to argue for its correctness, including some (“seductive persuasions” and “scientific proofs”) which, although useful, did not meet his needs. I then try to explain why he thought that a strict and rigorous proof was required.