Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Wahman, Jessica
Data de Publicação: 2017
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: eng
Título da fonte: Cognitio (São Paulo. Online)
Texto Completo: https://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/cognitiofilosofia/article/view/33444
Resumo: In this essay, I argue that the mark of a viable metaphysics is as much practical and ethical as it is logical and systematic. To do this, I analyze George Santayana’s Dialogues in Limbo, where he affirms his support of the atomistic materialism of Democritus on pragmatic grounds. A metaphysics, he suggests, is a worldview that accommodates a person—viewed as a particular kind of psychological organism—wisely to the forces of nature and best enables that person to lead a flourishing life. At the same time, Santayana puts his own stamp on materialism by challenging the possibility that Democritus’s geometric characterization of atoms can be a literal account of material substance. He reinterprets Democritean metaphysics as a poetic and mythological position that discounts subjective experience and instead turns our attention to the substrative origins of our being.
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spelling Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of MetaphysicsMaterialismo no limbo: Demócrito, Santayana e a ética da MetafísicaSantayanaDialogues in LimboPragmatic metaphysicsPsychologySelf-knowledgeSantayanaDiálogos no LimboMetafísica pragmáticaPsicologiaAutoconhecimentoIn this essay, I argue that the mark of a viable metaphysics is as much practical and ethical as it is logical and systematic. To do this, I analyze George Santayana’s Dialogues in Limbo, where he affirms his support of the atomistic materialism of Democritus on pragmatic grounds. A metaphysics, he suggests, is a worldview that accommodates a person—viewed as a particular kind of psychological organism—wisely to the forces of nature and best enables that person to lead a flourishing life. At the same time, Santayana puts his own stamp on materialism by challenging the possibility that Democritus’s geometric characterization of atoms can be a literal account of material substance. He reinterprets Democritean metaphysics as a poetic and mythological position that discounts subjective experience and instead turns our attention to the substrative origins of our being.Neste artigo, argumento que a marca de uma metafísica viável é tanto prática e ética quanto é lógica e sistemática. Para tal, analiso os Diálogos no Limbo de George Santayana, no qual ele afirma seu apoio ao materialismo atomístico de Demócrito em bases pragmáticas. Uma metafísica, ele sugere, é uma visão de mundo que acomoda uma pessoa – vista como um determinado tipo de organismo psicológico – sabiamente às forças da natureza e da melhor forma possibilita essa pessoa a levar uma vida próspera. Ao mesmo tempo, Santayana coloca sua marca no materialismo ao questionar a possibilidade da caracterização geométrica dos átomos de Demócrito ser uma explicação literal da substância material. Ele interpreta a metafísica Democritiana como uma posição poética e mitológica que desconsidera a experiência subjetiva e, em vez de, volta nossa atenção para as origens substrativas do nosso ser.Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo2017-07-10info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/cognitiofilosofia/article/view/3344410.23925/2316-5278.2017v18i1p135-144Cognitio: Revista de Filosofia; Vol. 18 No. 1 (2017); 135-144Cognitio: Revista de Filosofia; v. 18 n. 1 (2017); 135-1442316-52781518-7187reponame:Cognitio (São Paulo. Online)instname:Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP)instacron:PUC_SPenghttps://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/cognitiofilosofia/article/view/33444/23148Copyright (c) 2017 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessWahman, Jessica2017-08-17T16:59:25Zoai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/33444Revistahttps://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/cognitiofilosofiaPRIhttps://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/cognitiofilosofia/oairevcognitio@gmail.com2316-52781518-7187opendoar:2017-08-17T16:59:25Cognitio (São Paulo. Online) - Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP)false
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics
Materialismo no limbo: Demócrito, Santayana e a ética da Metafísica
title Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics
spellingShingle Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics
Wahman, Jessica
Santayana
Dialogues in Limbo
Pragmatic metaphysics
Psychology
Self-knowledge
Santayana
Diálogos no Limbo
Metafísica pragmática
Psicologia
Autoconhecimento
title_short Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics
title_full Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics
title_fullStr Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics
title_full_unstemmed Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics
title_sort Materialism in Limbo: Democritus, Santayana, and the ethics of Metaphysics
author Wahman, Jessica
author_facet Wahman, Jessica
author_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Wahman, Jessica
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv Santayana
Dialogues in Limbo
Pragmatic metaphysics
Psychology
Self-knowledge
Santayana
Diálogos no Limbo
Metafísica pragmática
Psicologia
Autoconhecimento
topic Santayana
Dialogues in Limbo
Pragmatic metaphysics
Psychology
Self-knowledge
Santayana
Diálogos no Limbo
Metafísica pragmática
Psicologia
Autoconhecimento
description In this essay, I argue that the mark of a viable metaphysics is as much practical and ethical as it is logical and systematic. To do this, I analyze George Santayana’s Dialogues in Limbo, where he affirms his support of the atomistic materialism of Democritus on pragmatic grounds. A metaphysics, he suggests, is a worldview that accommodates a person—viewed as a particular kind of psychological organism—wisely to the forces of nature and best enables that person to lead a flourishing life. At the same time, Santayana puts his own stamp on materialism by challenging the possibility that Democritus’s geometric characterization of atoms can be a literal account of material substance. He reinterprets Democritean metaphysics as a poetic and mythological position that discounts subjective experience and instead turns our attention to the substrative origins of our being.
publishDate 2017
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2017-07-10
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv https://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/cognitiofilosofia/article/view/33444
10.23925/2316-5278.2017v18i1p135-144
url https://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/cognitiofilosofia/article/view/33444
identifier_str_mv 10.23925/2316-5278.2017v18i1p135-144
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://revistas.pucsp.br/index.php/cognitiofilosofia/article/view/33444/23148
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv Copyright (c) 2017 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Copyright (c) 2017 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Cognitio: Revista de Filosofia; Vol. 18 No. 1 (2017); 135-144
Cognitio: Revista de Filosofia; v. 18 n. 1 (2017); 135-144
2316-5278
1518-7187
reponame:Cognitio (São Paulo. Online)
instname:Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP)
instacron:PUC_SP
instname_str Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP)
instacron_str PUC_SP
institution PUC_SP
reponame_str Cognitio (São Paulo. Online)
collection Cognitio (São Paulo. Online)
repository.name.fl_str_mv Cognitio (São Paulo. Online) - Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP)
repository.mail.fl_str_mv revcognitio@gmail.com
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