Knowledge, Thought and Action: An Examination of C. I. Lewis's Contributions to Moral Philosophy

• Project/Area Number: 24K03434
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01040:History of thought-related
• Research Institution: Soka University
• Principal Investigator: Sinclair Robert 創価大学, 国際教養学部, 教授 (70748251)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2029-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2028: ¥130,000 (Direct Cost: ¥100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥30,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥130,000 (Direct Cost: ¥100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥30,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥390,000 (Direct Cost: ¥300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥90,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥390,000 (Direct Cost: ¥300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥90,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥130,000 (Direct Cost: ¥100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥30,000)
• Keywords: Philosophy / History of thought / C. I. Lewis / Pragmatism / Ethics

Outline of Research at the Start

This research project reassesses C. I. Lewis’s place in the history of twentieth century philosophy by clarifying the status of his contributions to pragmatist thought. Lewis accepts the core pragmatist emphasis on the interconnection between knowledge, thought and action. However, the development of Lewis’s thought shows that rather than the theory of knowledge he becomes more concerned with human moral action. This transition helps to explain his turn away from examining human knowledge and towards the moral concerns that would dominate his later work.