John Dewey's Truth And Consequences

In John Dewey's essay Truth and Consequences, he criticizes and reevaluates the traditionally held belief that a true proposition should contain a reference to that which is true about itself. For Dewey, truth should not make a reference to what is ‘really’ perceived, because that is already implied when speaking about anything. Instead, truth is supposed to be thought of as that which will fulfill the requirements of future problem solving activity.
In Section one, I will summarize Dewey’s argument that factual knowledge does not itself count as truth. I will also explain why Dewey criticizes the currently held view that knowledge is justified true belief and what he deems to be a more intellectually stimulating or useful way to define truth. In section two, I will state why it is possible to talk about truth in a self-referential …show more content…
An example he gives is that of a needle compass on a ship, directing the motion of the ship’s trip to a harbor. He claims that the needle being in working order only matters because the needle is being used to guide a crew on their voyage. There is something beyond the needle that is crucial to understand the truth of the situation. The compass is only a manufactured piece of metal. It will not matter until it is utilized in some way. He uses this example twice in the readings, because he thinks it illustrates that there is nothing within the needle and the interaction a person may have with it that is important other than its ability to successfully lead one to a future goal. There are many examples of this kind that could be brought up. Basically, the similarity between any example one may give and this one is that it holds no significance for human beings unless we may interact with it