I have been reading and thinking and writing about Philosophy for over 35 years now.  The essays attached to this Home Page are the results of my contemplations.  They are offered here on the Web for your entertainment.  And in the hope that I might generate some interesting, educational, and entertaining discussions.  Please feel free to send me your comments, questions, or suggestions at - saburns@sympatico.ca

I make no claim to any monopoly on good ideas. I don't even claim that the ideas contained in these essays are uniquely my own. At best, what creativity I have contributed has been the concatenation of good ideas borrowed from others. The Bibliography contains many of the reference works from which I have borrowed some of these ideas. And the Footnotes scattered throughout will point the interested to specific sources I have employed for specific essays.

In this modern age of Internet access, vast amounts of material written by other authors is readily available for cut-and-paste use. Throughout this work, I have borrowed heavily from materials I have found on the net. I have tried to give credit to the authors, where I have been able to determine the author. But I have not always been successful. So, I will apologize in advance to anyone who might find here, material of his or her own creation without suitable credit. I will be more than happy to correct such oversights, when so advised.

The philosophy presented here is based largely on the writings of Aristotle, Ayn Rand and some of her Objectivist followers, and the Pragmatists William James and John Dewey.  I consider myself both an Objectivist and a Pragmatist.  However, my philosophy is neither pure "Randian Objectivism", or pure "Jamesian Pragmatism".  Over the years, I have added contributions from many writers.

On the other hand, my philosophy was initially born out of an attempt to understand Objectivism, and an application of modern scientific knowledge to the problems I encountered with Randian Objectivism.  Despite my differences with Randian Objectivism, my philosophy is very clearly an "objectivist" (small 'o') philosophy.  It is, in my very humble opinion, a "correction" of Randian Objectivism, taking into consideration scientific knowledge and philosophical understanding that was not available to Ayn Rand. 

I have titled my philosophy "Evolutionary Pragmatism" for reasons what will become apparent as soon as one delves into the basis of my Ethics. I do not wish to encroach on the territories of the established "Pragmatist" or "Objectivist" communities.  I merely wish to make clear my debt to the both the Pragmatist and Objectivist movements, and the close relationship my philosophy bares to Randian Objectivism (of the Kelley variety, rather than the Piekoff variety).

• Introduction
  • What Is Philosophy?
  • An Introduction to Axiom Systems

• Metaphysics  (Non-Naive Realism)

  • The Nature of Reality
  • Realism vs Idealism
  • The Metaphysical Challenge of Solipsism
  • Paradigm Shifts & The Role of Faith
  • Cause and Effect
  • The Nature of Mind
  • Some Comments on Human Behaviour
  • Free Will versus Determinism
  • Some Related Links and Relevant References
  • Summary - Metaphysics

• Epistemology  (Pragmatism)

  • Introduction to Epistemology
  • Propositions
  • A Theory of Concepts
  • The Nature of Knowledge
  • The Nature of "Truth"
  • Pragmatism's Conception of Truth
  • Defeating the Sceptic

• Ethics  (Evolutionary Ethics)

  • The Purpose of Ethics
  • Moral Judgments
  • The Meaning of Good
  • Different Kinds of Ethics
  • Evolutionary Pragmatist Ethics
  • Why Be Moral?
  • The Definition of Value
  • Utilitarianism?
  • Some Moral Dilemmas

• Political Philosophy  (Classical Liberalism)

  • Introduction
  • A Note on the Nature of Governance
  • A Definition of Rights
  • The Make-It or Take-It Alternatives
  • Some Economic Reforms
  • Reforming the Educational System
  • Reforming the Health Care System