Art Theory

Nelson Goodman Interview (1989) – Induction, Worldmaking, Symbols & Art



Philosophy Overdose

Nelson Goodman begins by discussing inductive logic and his famous contribution to the problem of induction. He then discusses his non-realist notion of ‘worldmaking’ which seeks to replace the traditional realist conception of truth as some kind of correspondence relation to a mind-independent objective world. Then he goes on to discuss some of the consequences in the second half of the interview, discussing his understanding of symbols, especially in relation to art and aesthetics.

Nelson Goodman (7 August 1906 โ€“ 25 November 1998) was an American analytic philosopher, best known for his work on induction, aesthetics, formal logic, philosophy of science, irrealism, counterfactuals, and philosophy of art. He taught at Harvard and some of his most notable students include Noam Chomsky, Hilary Putnam, and Stephen Stich. Some of his most famous works include “Fact, Fiction, and Forecast”, “Ways Of Worldmaking”, and “Languages of Art: An Approach to a Theory of Symbols”.

You can find Goodman’s “Ways of Worldmaking” here: https://archive.org/details/GoodmanWaysOfWorldmaking

This is part of a 1989 interview conducted in Rome as part of a project by Renato Parascandolo.

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18 thoughts on “Nelson Goodman Interview (1989) – Induction, Worldmaking, Symbols & Art
  1. 30 years ago here is the secret of how to overcome this economic crisis of nations, the reconstruction of a world coin is no different than Goodman's .philosophical reorientation from the acceptance of one's limitations with regards to induction, any idea that might be induced.

  2. At 83 he seems a little frail and slightly confused – having to remind himself about his own philosophy from his notes. He had a reputation for being quite a stickler (see W.R.T. Mitchell's Iconologia) but people that got to know him found him very helpful.

    Oddly enough I think of him in the same kind of 'box' as architect Frank Lloyd Wright. There's an extraordinary bold but natural modernity in his works.

  3. Many thanks! I'm a long-time follower – an artist particularly interested in his aesthetics – and welcome this opportunity to actually hear him speak (albeit eventually…) ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Thank you for this PO. I've considered requesting videos relating to Goodman's philosophy but figured that if anything were out there you would have posted it by now or that you'll eventually hunt it down somehow. He's one of the philosophers I admire most (even as a Christian) so it looks like Christmas came early ๐Ÿ‘Œ

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