The Pragmatism Reader: From Peirce through the Present

by Robert B. Talisse (Editor), Scott F. Aikin (Editor)

A wide-ranging anthology of key pragmatist writingsThe Pragmatism Reader is the essential anthology of this important philosophical movement. Each selection featured here is a key writing by a leading pragmatist thinker, and represents a distinctively pragmatist approach to a core philosophical problem. The collection includes work by pragmatism's founders, Charles Peirce, William James, and John Dewey, as well as seminal writings by mid-twentieth-century pragmatists such as Sidney Hook, C. I. Lewis, Nelson Goodman, Rudolf Carnap, Wilfrid Sellars, and W.V.O. Quine. This reader also includes the most important work in contemporary pragmatism by philosophers like Susan Haack, Cornel West, Hilary Putnam, Richard Rorty, Cheryl Misak, and Robert Brandom. Each selection is a stand-alone piece—not an excerpt or book chapter—and each is presented fully unabridged.The Pragmatism Reader challenges the notion that pragmatism fell into a midcentury decline and was dormant until the advent of "neopragmatism" in the 1980s. This comprehensive anthology reveals a rich and highly influential tradition running unbroken through twentieth-century philosophy and continuing today. It shows how American pragmatist philosophers have contributed to leading philosophical debates about truth, meaning, knowledge, experience, belief, existence, justification, and freedom.

Covers pragmatist philosophy from its origins to todayFeatures key writings by the leading pragmatist thinkersDemonstrates the continuity and enduring influence of pragmatismChallenges prevailing notions about pragmatismIncludes only stand-alone pieces, completely unabridgedReflects the full range of pragmatist themes, arguments, concerns, and commitments

Genres: Philosophy

496 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 23, 2011

About the author

Robert B. Talisse is W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. His central research area is democratic theory, where he pursues issues concerning legitimacy, justice, and public political argumentation.

A native of New Jersey, Talisse earned his PhD in Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center in 2001. He is the author of more than 100 scholarly articles and 13 academic books. He is also the host of two academic podcasts Why We Argue and New Books in Philosophy. With his frequent collaborator Scott Aikin, Talisse also writes a monthly column at the site 3 Quarks Daily.

Reviews

[Juliana Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reader to accompany the works of different philosopher's views.

[Chris Fostel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really interesting essays in this book. Read it for a philosophy class, so the discussions definitely helped elevate it a bit, but I think it’s worth reading if you enjoy philosophy at all.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pragmatism has not been taken seriously enough. When I was studying political thought, the professors glossed over pragmatism. It was only after I lived in Europe for a year that I discovered what some academics there regard as the only serious contribution that Americans have made to Western philosophy. When they asked what I thought of Peirce's writing, I said I'd never heard of him. At that point, of the authors in the collection I had read only Dewey, and only a few of his more popular writings, and something forgettable by Quine in the 1970s. I thought of William James as more a psychologist than a philosopher.

This reader was an interesting find. Peirce comes off as a bit of a crank, but certainly an innovator and iconoclast. I have a greater appreciation of Quine's contributions. Some of the essays are snoozers and some seem dated or marginally relevant, but overall it is a solid introduction to the school of thought.