American Philosophers Read Scripture

by Jacob L. Goodson (Editor), Ann W. Duncan (Contributor), Edward Mooney (Contributor)

This collection introduces readers to the philosophical interpretation of Scripture, specifically within American Philosophy. The purpose of the collection concerns starting a conversation about the practice and task of the philosophical interpretation of Scripture. Reflections on the philosophical interpretation of Scripture have been treated more as a “conversation-stopper” than a conversation-starter within the American academy. To start such a conversation, this collection offers substantive accounts of the role of Scripture in the philosophical thought of fifteen American Jane Addams, Henry Bugbee, Stanley Cavell, John Dewey, Jonathan Edwards, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, William James, Martin Luther King, Jr., Charles Sanders Peirce, Josiah Royce, Richard Rorty, George Santayana, Henry David Thoreau, and Cornel West.

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2019

Reviews

[Jeffrey Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consisting of mostly pragmatist philosophers writing about how other pragmatist philosophers approach scripture, there are some nice inclusions in this collection of essays. Many chapters felt too short or lacking in context to be fully satisfying but I appreciate having this as a tool for the philosophy of religion.

Charles Sanders Peirce and his thought (pragmaticism) feature prominently as the backdrop for most of these thinkers but Jane Addams, Richard Rorty, William James, John Dewey, and Cornel West all make appearances.

I highly recommend David O'Hara's chapter on Peirce and agapic love; it really helped to inject a lot more heart into the philosophy of pragmaticism than I previously thought existed.