Although pragmatism and determinism may seem like opposing forces, they are in fact part of one another. Determinism is the idea that outside factors determine the fate of characters. Pragmatism is the idea that actions predict effects, and therefore the characters can control their actions and therefore their fate. But, like in “Children of Invention,” these can work together to promote change.
The mother and her children in “Children of Invention” were in many ways victims of their situation. The woman was a single mother with very little money, and she needed money to support her children. She could have waited the several months that it would have taken for her to get her realtor’s license, but she needed the money quickly. This led her to search for other options, such as the dangerous pyramid schemes that she ran into. But, this led to the unpleasant consequence of going to jail. So, the mother learned at the end of the movie that it was a better idea to wait and look for a slower way to make money. This shows that although characters are limited greatly by their situation, there are multiple ways to act with varying levels of success.
This idea of multiple options for action is also reflected in Maggie. The different ways to react to a situation are shown in Maggie and her brother Jimmie. Maggie is dreamy and naive. Jimmie is violent and accepting of his situation. Jimmie in the end fairs better. This shows again that situations are largely deterministic, as is shown by the lack of truly desirable fates in Maggie. But, there are options.
These two examples show that pragmatism, although it doesn’t overcome determinism, can help to decide on a better individual option in the situation. Pragmatism doesn’t help us to moralize, but it does help us to learn.
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Thank you Adrienne, your posting refreshed my memory about the movie, children of invention. I think the movie might be composed of two parts, if thinking the concepts of pragmatism and determinism.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the film, the director shows much of the pragmatism factors. As Adrienne summarized, though the bad economic situation surrounds her, it is clearly Elaine who determines to participate into the risky business. Continuously, she repeats the same mistake that brings economic tragedy to her family. This result is emphasized by her children left alone in the house. At this scene, we may expect the agony and suffering of them that we can accept the fact that Elaine’s action made the tragedy.
However, the film provides an expected way to overcome the sad result, and I think this is the deterministic factor in the film. It is from their family relationship that Elaine and her two children could promise their bright future and never give up recovering. Because they love together and put their values on their family, they come to find a way for keeping their members from the society. The director of the film, Chun added the positive deterministic viewpoint for recovering the hardness, which is gathering together and helping each other.
Two different factors (pragmatism and determinism), to me, seems quite opposed to each other. The reason is the role of them in the film is quite different. While the factors of pragmatism makes the severe result for showing the individual’s pain and suffering, the factors of determinism makes it recover for suggesting a way to the audience.
Adrienne, your post reminded me the idea that both of the principles, determinism and pragmatism, are based on two of the ideas which are Naturalism and Free Will. That is, I believe these ideas are also located in opposite site.
ReplyDeleteIn the story Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, it is clear that the reader can see the idea of Naturalism through the story. Because the figure of Maggie who cannot make her own decision by her own will, the reader would be able to confirm one of the ways of human being that people are constructed herself life by the environment. In other words, it seems to be able to confirm the idea of fate on people because there are similar point between Naturalism and Free Will. That is, the point that people are decided their decision about everything by the external factors regardless of their will is really similar.
Therefore, I believe the idea of Free Will is separate from not only Naturalism and also determinism. Then, Adrienne explains that "Pragmatism is the idea that actions predict effects, and therefore the characters can control their actions and therefore their fate" in this post. As she says, the idea which action predicts effect is easy to connect to the idea of Free Will because even though people's decisions are including the consideration of the external factors, the subjects who make their decision is their selves absolutely. Therefore, if the collision between pragmatism and determinism can be constructed, I believe it also can indicate the opposite relationship which is Free Will vs. Fate.