100 Years of Pragmatism William James's Revolutionary Philosophy [Paperback]

William James claimed that his Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking would prove triumphant and epoch-making. Today, after more than 100 years, how is pragmatism to be understood? What has been its cultural and philosophical impact? Is it a crucial resource for current problems and for life and thought in the future? John J. Stuhr and the distinguished contributors to this multidisciplinary volume address these questions, situating them in personal, philosophical, political, American, and global contexts. Engaging James in original ways, these 11 essays probe and extend the significance of pragmatism as they focus on four major, overlapping themes: pragmatism and American culture; pragmatism as a method of thinking and settling disagreements; pragmatism as theory of truth; and pragmatism as a mood, attitude, or temperament.

Overall, this volume consists of well-written essays that ought to prompt a thoughtful reconsideration of William James's thought and its place in American culture. . . . Recommended.October 2010, Vol. 48, No. 2A well-balanced, interdisciplinary critical assessment of the ways that James understood pragmatism and the ways that understanding is still valid, helpful, and in need of revision and amplification for today's culture and contemporary needs.

John J. Stuhr is Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and American Studies and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Emory University. He is author of John Dewey; Genealogical Pragmatism: Philosophy, Experience, and Community; and Pragmatism, Postmodernism, and the Future of Philosophy. He is co-editor of The Journal of Speculative Philosophy.

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List of Abbreviations

Introduction: 100 Years of Pragmatism / John J. Stuhr
1. James's Pragmatism and American Culture, 19072007 / James T. Kloppenberg
2. The Enemies of Pragmatism / Mark Bauerlein
3. The Earth Must Resume Its Rights: A Jamesian Genealogy ol³/