The Range of Pragmatism and the Limits of Philosophy

Urging the need for new thinking to respond to new conditions, pragmatism refuses to confine itself to philosophy’s traditional topics and is keen to address the pressing problems of today’s world and diverse publics. The ten essays, specially written for this volume by some of pragmatism’s leading scholars, explore the range of pragmatism in terms of its international impact, the diversity of its philosophical voices, and its pragmatic potential. The contributors appraise pragmatism’s resources for treating crucial contemporary issues such as globalization, multiculturalism, race and ethnicity; problems of reconciling individual self–realization with democratic ideals of community; questions about the uses of law and education, and about the role of violence and the abiding scourge of war. Finally, the volume charts the ways in which pragmatism has influenced or could contribute to disciplines beyond the limits of philosophy; disciplines such as law, history, psychology, ethnic and cultural studies, and somatic education.

Notes on Contributors.

1. Introduction (Richard Shusterman).

2. Pragmatism and East–Asian Thought (Richard Shusterman).

3. China’s Pragmatist Experiment in Democracy: Hu Shih’s Pragmatism and Dewey’s Influence in China (Sor–Hoon Tan).

4. Pragmatism, Postmodernism, and Global Citizenship (Larry A. Hickman).

5. Old Ideas Crumble: War, Pragmatist Intellectuals, and the Limits of Philosophy (John J. Stuhr).

6. What’s the Use of Calling Du Bois a Pragmatist (Paul C. Taylor).

7. Pragmatism and Ethnicity: Critique, Reconstruction, and the New Hispanic (José Medina).

8. Legal Pragmatism (Richard A. Posner).

9. Changing the Epistemological and Psychological Subject: William James’s Psychology Without Borders (Marianne Janack).

10. The Question of Voice and the Limits of Pragmatism: Emerson, Dewey, and Cavell (Vincent Colapietro).

11. Pragmatism and the Practice of History: From Turner and Du Bois to Today (James T. Kloppenberg).

Index.