Pragmatism (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading)

A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking

William James

• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781411428881
• Topic: Filosofia
• Subtopic: Filosofia moderna

The word "pragmatism" is used everywhere today, from business to sports to politics. Although the word hadnt yet entered everyday language when William James published Pragmatism in 1907, the philosopher believed its doctrine had virtually become common sense in twentieth-century America. For James, pragmatism was a specific philosophical alternative to essentialism and foundationalism and argued that ideas are meaningful only insofar as they have practical consequences in concrete human experience; however today pragmatism has come to denote merely a general willingness to compromise principles, even to the point of selfishness or irresponsibility. Written in an engaging and accessible style, Pragmatism is a valuable corrective to modern uses of the word, since the voice that speaks in its pages embodies precisely the opposite values from the pejorative senses the word has acquired.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Introduction
• PREFACE
• LECTURE ONE - THE PRESENT DILEMMA IN PHILOSOPHY
• LECTURE TWO - WHAT PRAGMATISM MEANS
• LECTURE THREE - SOME METAPHYSICAL PROBLEMS PRAGMATICALLY CONSIDERED
• LECTURE FOUR - THE ONE AND THE MANY
• LECTURE FIVE - PRAGMATISM AND COMMON SENSE
• LECTURE SIX - PRAGMATISM’S CONCEPTION OF TRUTH
• LECTURE SEVEN - PRAGMATISM AND HUMANISM
• LECTURE EIGHT - PRAGMATISM AND RELIGION
• ENDNOTES
• INDEX
• SUGGESTED READING