The Revival Of Pragmatism

Author : Morris Dickstein
Publisher : Duke University Press
Page : 466 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 1998-11-23
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780822382522

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The Revival of Pragmatism by Morris Dickstein Pdf

Although long considered the most distinctive American contribution to philosophy, pragmatism—with its problem-solving emphasis and its contingent view of truth—lost popularity in mid-century after the advent of World War II, the horror of the Holocaust, and the dawning of the Cold War. Since the 1960s, however, pragmatism in many guises has again gained prominence, finding congenial places to flourish within growing intellectual movements. This volume of new essays brings together leading philosophers, historians, legal scholars, social thinkers, and literary critics to examine the far-reaching effects of this revival. As the twenty-five intellectuals who take part in this discussion show, pragmatism has become a complex terrain on which a rich variety of contemporary debates have been played out. Contributors such as Richard Rorty, Stanley Cavell, Nancy Fraser, Robert Westbrook, Hilary Putnam, and Morris Dickstein trace pragmatism’s cultural and intellectual evolution, consider its connection to democracy, and discuss its complex relationship to the work of Emerson, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein. They show the influence of pragmatism on black intellectuals such as W. E. B. Du Bois, explore its view of poetic language, and debate its effects on social science, history, and jurisprudence. Also including essays by critics of the revival such as Alan Wolfe and John Patrick Diggins, the volume concludes with a response to the whole collection from Stanley Fish. Including an extensive bibliography, this interdisciplinary work provides an in-depth and broadly gauged introduction to pragmatism, one that will be crucial for understanding the shape of the transformations taking place in the American social and philosophical scene at the end of the twentieth century. Contributors. Richard Bernstein, David Bromwich, Ray Carney, Stanley Cavell, Morris Dickstein, John Patrick Diggins, Stanley Fish, Nancy Fraser, Thomas C. Grey, Giles Gunn, Hans Joas, James T. Kloppenberg, David Luban, Louis Menand, Sidney Morgenbesser, Richard Poirier, Richard A. Posner, Ross Posnock, Hilary Putnam, Ruth Anna Putnam, Richard Rorty, Michel Rosenfeld, Richard H. Weisberg, Robert B. Westbrook, Alan Wolfe

Author : Morris Dickstein
Publisher : Duke University Press
Page : 468 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 1998-11-23
Category : Law
ISBN : 0822322455

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The Revival of Pragmatism by Morris Dickstein Pdf

DIVAn assessment, by a distinguished panel of experts, on the impact of pragmatism on contemporary thought./div

Author : John Patrick Diggins
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 534 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 1995-05-15
Category : History
ISBN : 0226148793

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The Promise of Pragmatism by John Patrick Diggins Pdf

For much of our century, pragmatism has enjoyed a charmed life, holding the dominant point of view in American politics, law, education, and social thought in general. After suffering a brief eclipse in the post-World War II period, pragmatism has enjoyed a revival, especially in literary theory and such areas as poststructuralism and deconstruction. In this sweeping critique of pragmatism and neopragmatism, one of our leading intellectual historians traces the attempts of thinkers from William James to Richard Rorty to find a response to the crisis of modernism. John Patrick Diggins analyzes the limitations of pragmatism from a historical perspective and dares to ask whether America's one original contribution to the world of philosophy has actually fulfilled its promise. In the late nineteenth century, intellectuals felt themselves in the grips of a spiritual crisis. This confrontation with the "acids of modernity" eroded older faiths and led to a sense that life would continue in the awareness, of absences: knowledge without truth, power without authority, society without spirit, self without identity, politics without virtue, existence without purpose, history without meaning. In Europe, Friedrich Nietzsche and Max Weber faced a world in which God was "dead" and society was succumbing to structures of power and domination. In America, Henry Adams resigned from Harvard when he realized there were no truths to be taught and when he could only conclude: "Experience ceases to educate." To the American philosophers of pragmatism, it was experience that provided the basis on which new methods of knowing could replace older ideas of truth. Diggins examines how, in different ways, William James, Charles Peirce, John Dewey, George H. Mead, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., demonstrated that modernism posed no obstacle in fields such as science, education, religion, law, politics, and diplomacy. Diggins also examines the work of the neopragmatists Jurgen Habermas and Richard Rorty and their attempt to resolve the crisis of postmodernism. Using one author to interrogate another, Diggins brilliantly allows the ideas to speak to our conditions as well as theirs. Did the older philosophers succeed in fulfilling the promises of pragmatism? Can the neopragmatists write their way out of what they have thought themselves into? And does America need philosophers to tell us that we do not need foundational truths when the Founders already told us that the Constitution would be a "machine" that would depend more upon the "counterpoise" of power than on the claims of knowledge? Diggins addresses these and other essential questions in this magisterial account of twentieth-century intellectual life. It should be read by everyone concerned about the roots of postmodernism (and its links to pragmatism) and about the forms of thought and action available for confronting a world after postmodernism.

Author : Morris Dickstein
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 453 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : Culture
ISBN : OCLC:1256501295

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The Revival of Pragmatism by Morris Dickstein Pdf

Author : Joseph Margolis
Publisher : Cornell University Press
Page : 194 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2018-09-05
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781501728471

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Reinventing Pragmatism by Joseph Margolis Pdf

In contemporary philosophical debates in the United States "redefining pragmatism" has become the conventional way to flag significant philosophical contests and to launch large conceptual and programmatic changes. This book analyzes the contributions of such developments in light of the classic formulations of Charles S. Peirce and John Dewey and the interaction between pragmatism and analytic philosophy. American pragmatism was revived quite unexpectedly in the 1970s by Richard Rorty's philosophical heterodoxy and his running dispute with Hilary Putnam, who, like Rorty, is a professed Deweyan.Reinventing Pragmatism examines the force of the new pragmatisms, from the emergence of Rorty's and Putnam's basic disagreements of the 1970s until the turn of the century. Joseph Margolis considers the revival of a movement generally thought to have ended by the 1950s as both a surprise and a turn of great importance. The quarrel between Rorty and Putnam obliged American philosophers, and eventually Eurocentric philosophy as a whole, to reconsider the direction of American and European philosophy, for instance in terms of competing accounts of realism and naturalism.

Author : Alan Malachowski
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 149 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2014-12-05
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317493631

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The New Pragmatism by Alan Malachowski Pdf

Some hundred years after its inception, Pragmatism has reclaimed centre stage, not just within philosophy, but also within intellectual culture as a whole. This book sets out to explain what it is about Pragmatism that makes it such a distinctively attractive prospect to so many thinkers, even in previously hostile traditions. Alan Malachowski sets out in a clear and accessible manner the original guiding thoughts behind the Pragmatist approach to philosophy and examines how these thoughts have faired in the hands of those largely responsible for the present revival (Putnam and Rorty). The Pragmatism that emerges from this exploration of its "classic" and "new wave" forms is then assessed in terms of both its philosophical potential and its wider cultural contribution. Readers will emerge from the book with a more secure grip on what Pragmatism involves and a correspondingly clearer grasp of what it has to offer and what its current resurgence is all about.

Author : Hilary Putnam
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 496 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2017-05-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780674979222

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Pragmatism as a Way of Life by Hilary Putnam Pdf

Hilary Putnam argues that all facts are dependent on cognitive values. Ruth Anna Putnam turns the problem around, illuminating the factual basis of moral principles. Together, they offer a pragmatic vision that in Hilary’s words serves “as a manifesto for what the two of us would like philosophy to look like in the twenty-first century and beyond.”

Author : Alan Malachowski
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 395 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2013-11-07
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781107433601

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The Cambridge Companion to Pragmatism by Alan Malachowski Pdf

Pragmatism established a philosophical presence over a century ago through the work of Charles Peirce, William James and John Dewey, and has enjoyed an unprecedented revival in recent years owing to the pioneering efforts of Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam. The essays in this volume explore the history and themes of classic pragmatism, discuss the revival of pragmatism and show how it engages with a range of areas of inquiry including politics, law, education, aesthetics, religion and feminism. Together they provide readers with an overview of the richness and vitality of pragmatist thinking and the influence that it continues to exert both in philosophy and other disciplines. The volume will be of interest to students and scholars of pragmatism, American philosophy and political theory.

Author : Russell B. Goodman
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Pragmatism
ISBN : 0415909104

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Pragmatism by Russell B. Goodman Pdf

First Published in 1996. This work presents material for understanding pragmatism's contemporary revival. The contributors consider philosophical issues ranging from the distinction between truth, knowledge and the meaning of literature to the practice of reading.

Author : Robert B. Talisse,Scott Aikin
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2008-10-09
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781441103130

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Pragmatism: A Guide for the Perplexed by Robert B. Talisse,Scott Aikin Pdf

The recent revival of interest in pragmatism has reintroduced into mainstream philosophy the insights and arguments of great American philosophers such as C.S. Peirce, William James and John Dewey. But it has also led to the use of the term 'pragmatism' in a huge variety of contexts, such that students and readers can find this fascinating subject confusing. Pragmatism: A Guide for the Perplexed seeks to dispel some of the ambiguity surrounding the term 'pragmatism'. The book offers a clear and thorough account of this important philosophical movement. Thematically structured, it lays out the historical development and surveys the key thinkers. Crucially, it concentrates on the ways in which pragmatists, both contemporary and historical, have attempted to address some of the most important problems in philosophy. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to have a sound understanding of pragmatism, the book serves as an ideal companion to study of this most important and influential of movements.

Author : Richard Rorty
Publisher : Vanderbilt University Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 1995
Category : Literary Criticism
ISBN : 0826512631

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Rorty & Pragmatism by Richard Rorty Pdf

In Rorty and Pragmatism, this highly influential and sometimes controversial philosopher responds to several of his most prominent critics, representing a wide range of backgrounds and concerns. Each of these critical challenges raises significant questions about Rorty's philosophical outlook. Whether or not one agrees with all of his positions, his replies are consequential. They provide insight into Rorty's thought, its development, and his sense of the future of philosophy.

Author : Matthew Festenstein
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 1997-12-22
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0226245020

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Pragmatism and Political Theory by Matthew Festenstein Pdf

Pragmatism has enjoyed a considerable revival in the latter part of the twentieth century, but what precisely constitutes pragmatism remains a matter of dispute. In reconstructing the pragmatic tradition in political philosophy, Matthew Festenstein rejects the idea that it is a single, cohesive doctrine. His incisive analysis brings out the commonalities and shared concerns among contemporary pragmatists while making clear their differences in how they would resolve those concerns. His study begins with the work of John Dewey and the moral and psychological conceptions that shaped his philosophy. Here Festenstein lays out the major philosophic issues with which first Dewey, and then his heirs, would grapple. The book's second part traces how Dewey's approach has been differently developed, especially in the work of three contemporary pragmatic thinkers: Richard Rorty, Jurgen Habermas, and Hilary Putnam. This first full-length critical study of the relationship between the pragmatist tradition and political philosophy fills a significant gap in contemporary thought.

Author : Alan R. Malachowski
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 378 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Pragmatism
ISBN : 1107423465

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The Cambridge Companion to Pragmatism by Alan R. Malachowski Pdf

"Pragmatism established a philosophical presence over a century ago through the work of Charles Peirce, William James and John Dewey, and has enjoyed an unprecedented revival in recent years owing to the pioneering efforts of Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam. The essays in this volume explore the history and themes of classic pragmatism, discuss the revival of pragmatism and show how it engages with a range of areas of inquiry including politics, law, education, aesthetics, religion and feminism. Together they provide readers with an overview of the richness and vitality of pragmatist thinking and the influence that it continues to exert both in philosophy and other disciplines. The volume will be of interest to students and scholars of pragmatism, American philosophy and political theory"--

Author : Russell B. Goodman
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0415288460

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Pragmatism by Russell B. Goodman Pdf

Presents key texts in and about pragmatism, from its origins in nineteenth century America to its contemporary revival as an international and multi-disciplinary phenomenon.

Author : Hans Joas
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 112 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 1993-03-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0226400417

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Pragmatism and Social Theory by Hans Joas Pdf

Rising concerns among scholars about the intellectual and cultural foundations of democracy have led to a revival of interest in the American philosophical tradition of pragmatism. In this book, Hans Joas shows how pragmatism can link divergent intellectual efforts to understand the social contexts of human knowledge, individual freedom, and democratic culture. Along with pragmatism's impact on American sociology and social research from 1895 to the 1940s, Joas traces its reception by French and German traditions during this century. He explores the influences of pragmatism—often misunderstood—on Emile Durkheim's sociology of knowledge, and on German thought, with particularly enlightening references to its appropriation by Nazism and its rejection by neo-Marxism. He also explores new currents of social theory in the work of Habermas, Castoriadis, Giddens, and Alexander, fashioning a bridge between Continental thought, American philosophy, and contemporary sociology; he shows how the misapprehension and neglect of pragmatism has led to systematic deficiencies in contemporary social theory. From this skillful historical and theoretical analysis, Joas creates a powerful case for the enduring legacy of Peirce, James, Dewey, and Mead for social theorists today.