A concise, reader-friendly overview of pragmatism, the most influential school of American philosophical thought.
Pragmatism, America’s homegrown philosophy, has been a major intellectual movement for over a century. Unlike its rivals, it reaches well beyond the confines of philosophy into concerns and disciplines as diverse as religion, politics, science, and culture. In this concise, engagingly written overview, John R. Shook describes pragmatism’s origins, concepts, and continuing global relevance and appeal. With attention to the movement’s original thinkers—Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, John Dewey, and George Herbert Mead—as well as its contemporary proponents, he explains how pragmatism thinks about what is real, what can be known, and what minds are doing. And because of pragmatism’s far-reaching impact, Shook shows how its views on reality, truth, knowledge, and cognition coordinate with its approaches to agency, sociality, human nature, and personhood.
"[An] accessible intellectual history. . . . The book’s solid structure, helpful glossary, and discerning list of further readings make it a worthwhile resource for newcomers. Philosophy students will want to check this out." —Publishers Weekly
John R. Shook teaches philosophy at Bowie State University in Maryland. He is coeditor of The Blackwell Companion to Pragmatism and Neuroscience, Neurophilosophy, and Pragmatism.
Series Foreword vii Preface ix 1 Pragmatism: An Old Name for Newly Confirmed Ideas 1 2 Principles of Pragmatism 21 3 Permanence and Impermanence 39 4 Context and Reality 65 5 Truth in Consequences 89 6 Being and Thinking 115 7 Pragmatism versus Epistemology 139 8 Transactional Knowledge 159 9 Ecological Mentality 181 10 Society, Self, and Mind 205 11 Culture and Person 227 Acknowledgments 243 Glossary 245 Notes 251 Further Reading 267 Index 273
A concise, reader-friendly overview of pragmatism, the most influential school of American philosophical thought.
Pragmatism, America’s homegrown philosophy, has been a major intellectual movement for over a century. Unlike its rivals, it reaches well beyond the confines of philosophy into concerns and disciplines as diverse as religion, politics, science, and culture. In this concise, engagingly written overview, John R. Shook describes pragmatism’s origins, concepts, and continuing global relevance and appeal. With attention to the movement’s original thinkers—Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, John Dewey, and George Herbert Mead—as well as its contemporary proponents, he explains how pragmatism thinks about what is real, what can be known, and what minds are doing. And because of pragmatism’s far-reaching impact, Shook shows how its views on reality, truth, knowledge, and cognition coordinate with its approaches to agency, sociality, human nature, and personhood.
Praise
"[An] accessible intellectual history. . . . The book’s solid structure, helpful glossary, and discerning list of further readings make it a worthwhile resource for newcomers. Philosophy students will want to check this out." —Publishers Weekly
Author
John R. Shook teaches philosophy at Bowie State University in Maryland. He is coeditor of The Blackwell Companion to Pragmatism and Neuroscience, Neurophilosophy, and Pragmatism.
Series Foreword vii Preface ix 1 Pragmatism: An Old Name for Newly Confirmed Ideas 1 2 Principles of Pragmatism 21 3 Permanence and Impermanence 39 4 Context and Reality 65 5 Truth in Consequences 89 6 Being and Thinking 115 7 Pragmatism versus Epistemology 139 8 Transactional Knowledge 159 9 Ecological Mentality 181 10 Society, Self, and Mind 205 11 Culture and Person 227 Acknowledgments 243 Glossary 245 Notes 251 Further Reading 267 Index 273