- Paperback: 560 pages
- Publisher: Random House USA Inc; illustrated edition edition (1 Aug 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0679775447
- ISBN-13: 978-0679775447
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 13.3 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 792,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Pragmatism has been called America's only major contribution to philosophy. But since its birth was announced a century ago in 1898 by William James, pragmatism has played a vital role in almost every area of American intellectual and cultural life, inspiring judges, educators, politicians, poets, and social prophets.
Now the major texts of American pragmatism, from William James and John Dewey to Richard Rorty and Cornel West, have been brought together and reprinted unabridged. From the first generation of pragmatists, including the Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and the founder of semiotics, Charles Sanders Peirce, to the leading figures in the contemporary pragmatist revival, including the philosopher Hilary Putnam, the jurist Richard Posner, and the literary critic Richard Poirier, all the contributors to this volume are remarkable for the wit and vigor of their prose and the mind-clearing force of their ideas. Edited and with an Introduction by Louis Menand, Pragmatism: A Reader will provide both the general reader and the student of American culture with excitement and pleasure.
Now the major texts of American pragmatism, from William James and John Dewey to Richard Rorty and Cornel West, have been brought together and reprinted unabridged. From the first generation of pragmatists, including the Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and the founder of semiotics, Charles Sanders Peirce, to the leading figures in the contemporary pragmatist revival, including the philosopher Hilary Putnam, the jurist Richard Posner, and the literary critic Richard Poirier, all the contributors to this volume are remarkable for the wit and vigor of their prose and the mind-clearing force of their ideas. Edited and with an Introduction by Louis Menand, Pragmatism: A Reader will provide both the general reader and the student of American culture with excitement and pleasure.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is astounding! It manages to accomplish in around 500 pages the twin tasks of giving a functional outline of the rise and rise of pragmatic thought and also to give examples, old and new, of that same pragmatic thought. The three more well-known "founders" (popularisers) are here in C.S. Peirce, William James and John Dewey along with an interesting selection of more modern pragmatists, such as (of course!) Richard Rorty, Cornel West and Hilary Putnam. One name that is missing from the contemporary selection is Stanley Fish, but since he seems to aim his sights indiscriminately he may be thought to be rather roguish for this sane and coherent selection of writings that the editor, Louis Menand, has pulled together.
In his introductory piece Menand charts pragmatism's birth from the universities of north eastern America and points up some of its distinctives (of which there are very few and deliberately so). This piece is worth the price of the book itself for its clarity, insight and authority. The choices Menand makes in presenting the pragmatic thinkers will always be one of judgment and decision (are the two writings he chooses from Richard Rorty's work, "Philosophy as a Kind of Writing" and "Postmodernist Bourgeois Liberalism" really more appropriate to this collection? I would choose others) and we may quibble with one or two and suggest others but Menand has made his choices and given his rationale and we, as readers, can ask no more. What is served up is insightful and powerful (when taken together) as an example of pragmatic thoughts in practice and, as such, demonstrates the oft written thought of William James that Pragmatism "does not stand for any special results. It is a method only." James means that pragmatists don't have to agree to be pragmatic for being pragmatic is "trac[ing] out in the imagination the conceivable practical consequences.....of the affirmation or denial" (C.S. Peirce) of whatever belief, truth or proposal you have in mind. Thus, we realise that Pragmatism as a philosophy is at least contextual, subjective and case by case. As a reader in Pragmatism this book does a superb job of this and Menand, as editor, is to be congratulated. Much recommended.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A good selection of readings with all sorts different authors. Putnam, James, Rorty, Dewy and West--just to name a few. The selections are interesting and varied enough to give the beginner to pragmatism an interesting first or second taste. For those that are more familiar with pragmatism, this gives a selection of authors that one may not be familiar with (be they contemporaries like Putnam or one of the originators like Dewey). Pragmatism apart from being (arguably) "true" (and any pragmatist should understand the scare quotes) is also a whole lot of fun!! An anthology with variety and short-ish readings is doubly so. Also, the introduction I think, is to be commended. It's pretty good and would be worth reading apart from this collection.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
6 reviews
68 of 71 people found the following review helpful
Eye-openingly Good!
10 Feb 2001
Format:Paperback
This book is astounding! It manages to accomplish in around 500 pages the twin tasks of giving a functional outline of the rise and rise of pragmatic thought and also to give examples, old and new, of that same pragmatic thought. The three more well-known "founders" (popularisers) of this philosophical method slash attitude are here in C.S. Peirce, William James and John Dewey along with an interesting selection of more modern pragmatists, such as Richard Rorty (of course!), Cornel West and Hilary Putnam. One name that is missing from the contemporary selection is Stanley Fish, but since he seems to aim his sights indiscriminately he may be thought to be rather roguish for this sane and coherent selection of writings that the editor, Louis Menand, has pulled together.
In his introductory piece Menand charts Pragmatism's birth in the universities of north eastern America in the second half of the nineteenth century and points up some of its distinctives (of which there are very few and deliberately so). This piece is worth the price of the book itself for its clarity, insight and authority. The choices Menand makes in presenting the pragmatic thinkers will always be one of judgment and decision (Are the two writings he chooses from Richard Rorty's work, "Philosophy as a Kind of Writing" and "Postmodernist Bourgeois Liberalism" really more appropriate to this collection? I would choose others.) and we may quibble with one or two and suggest others but Menand has made his choices and given his rationale and we, as readers, can ask no more. What is served up is insightful and powerful (when taken together) as an example of pragmatic thoughts in practice and, as such, demonstrates the oft written thought of William James that Pragmatism "does not stand for any special results. It is a method only." James means that pragmatists don't have to agree to be pragmatic for being pragmatic is "trac[ing] out in the imagination the conceivable practical consequences.....of the affirmation or denial" (C.S. Peirce) of whatever belief, truth or proposal you have in mind. Thus, we realise that Pragmatism as a philosophy is at least contextual, subjective and case by case. As a reader in Pragmatism this book does a superb job of demonstrating this and Menand, as editor, is to be congratulated. Much recommended.
PoSTmodERnFoOL
30 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Helpful and interesting. 3-stars...but I'm hard to please...
8 July 1998
Format:Paperback
A good selection of readings with all sorts different authors. Putnam, James, Rorty, Dewy and West--just to name a few. The selections are interesting and varied enough to give the beginner to pragmatism an interesting first or second taste. For those that are more familiar with pragmatism, this gives a selection of authors that one may not be familiar with (be they contemporaries like Putnam or one of the originators like Dewey). Pragmatism apart from being (arguably) "true" (and any pragmatist should understand the scare quotes) is also a whole lot of fun!! An anthology with variety and short-ish readings is doubly so. Also, the introduction I think, is to be commended. It's pretty good and would be worth reading apart from this collection.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Excellent!
11 Feb 2008
Format:Paperback
Could be considered the "sequel" to the other "Pragmatism" (by William James.) James sort of sketched the landscape and this book fills in the detail, with color. If you haven't read James's book, read it first, then this one.
Both eminently readable, but only for those who are into such things.
Both eminently readable, but only for those who are into such things.
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