Ebook: Rethinking Pragmatism: From William James to Contemporary Philosophy

Rethinking Pragmatism explores the work of the American Pragmatists, particularly James and Dewey, challenging entrenched views of their positions on truth, meaning, instrumentalism, realism, pluralism and religious beliefs.  It clarifies pragmatic ideas and arguments spelling out the significant implications they have for present-day philosophical controversies.

 

• Explores the work of the American Pragmatists, especially James and Dewey, on the issues of truth, reference, meaning, instrumentalism, essences, realism, pluralism and religious beliefs.
• The only available publication to provide a detailed commentary on James's book, Pragmatism, while exploring the implications of the American Pragmatists' ideas and arguments for contemporary philosophical issues
• Challenges standard readings of the American Pragmatists' positions in a way that illuminates and questions the assumptions underlying current discussions of these topics.
• Coherently arranged by structuring the book around the themes discussed in each chapter of James's original work.
• Provides a new analysis and understanding of the pragmatic theory of truth and semantics.

Content:
Chapter 1 The Place of Values in Inquiry (Lecture I) (pages 15–30):
Chapter 2 The Pragmatic Maxim and Pragmatic Instrumentalism (Lecture II) (pages 31–51):
Chapter 3 Substance and Other Metaphysical Claims (Lecture III) (pages 53–66):
Chapter 4 Materialism, Physicalism, and Reduction (Lecture IV) (pages 67–77):
Chapter 5 Ontological Commitment and the Nature of the Real (Lecture V) (pages 78–91):
Chapter 6 Pragmatic Semantics and Pragmatic Truth (Lecture VI) (pages 92–123):
Chapter 7 Worldmaking (Lecture VII) (pages 124–139):
Chapter 8 Belief, Hope, and Conjecture (Lecture VIII) (pages 140–156):