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There are actually interesting implications of this stance that I didn't include in the piece, and that nobody has brought up so far. Say: someone comes up to you and tells you that he believes in neuro-linguistic programming and it's helped him in his life. How do you react?

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Cedric Chin

@ejames_c

Aug 3, 2020

I wrote a thing: commoncog.com/blog/practice-

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4:34 PM · Aug 3, 2020Twitter Web App

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NLP is scientifically dubious at best. But there are elements of cognitive behavioural therapy in it. So maybe we can give that a pass. But what about homeopathy? Or tarot card reading? There are some interesting edge cases here.

Cedric Chin

@ejames_c

Aug 3, 2020

I can see you frowning. "That's bunk," you say to the tarot card reader. "But it's helped me!" he replies. You start to argue with him, but he shrugs, hops into his Lambo, and drives off. According to pragmatism, if it works for him, why not?

Cedric Chin

@ejames_c

Aug 3, 2020

My only point is that pragmatism has its limits, like any other theory of truth. But — within sane limits — it's pretty damn effective if you're reading for self improvement.

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I have a long-standing aversion to things like Tarot, but know people who find it very useful. Who am I to stop them? There's a difference between "I believe these cards control my destiny" and "I use these random cards as a primer to think hard about my life direction".