Preludes to Pragmatism : Toward a Reconstruction of Philosophy

Over the last two decades the distinguished philosopher Philip Kitcher has started to make a serious case for pragmatism as the source of a new life in contemporary philosophy. There are some, like Kitcher, who view today's analytic philosophy as mired in narrowly focused, technical disputes of little interest to the wider world. What is the future of philosophy, and what would it look like? While Classical Pragmatism - the American philosophy developed by John Dewey, Charles Peirce, and William James in the 19th century - has a mixed reputation today, Kitcher admires the way its core ideas provide a way to prioritize avenues of inquiry. As he points out, both James and Dewey shared a wish to eliminate insignificant questions from philosophy, and both harbored suspicion of timeless philosophical problems handed down generation after generation. Rather, they saw philosophy as inherently embedded in its time, grappling with pressing issues in religion, social life, art, politics, and education. Kitcher has become increasingly moved by this reformist approach to philosophy, and the published essays included here, alongside a detailed introduction setting out Kitcher's views, provide motivation for his view of the reconstruction of philosophy. These essays try to install the pragmatic spirit into contemporary philosophy, renewing James and Dewey for our own times. Over the last two decades the distinguished philosopher Philip Kitcher has started to make a serious case for pragmatism as the source of a new life in contemporary philosophy. There are some, like Kitcher, who view today's analytic philosophy as mired in narrowly focused, technical disputes of little interest to the wider world. What is the future of philosophy, and what would it look like? While Classical Pragmatism -- the American philosophy developed by John Dewey, Charles Peirce, and William James in the 19th century -- has a mixed reputation today, Kitcher admires the way its core ideas provide a way to prioritize avenues of inquiry. As he points out, both James and Dewey shared a wish to eliminate "insignificant questions" from philosophy, and both harbored suspicion of "timeless" philosophical problems handed down generation after generation. Rather, they saw philosophy as inherently embedded in its time, grappling with pressing issues in religion, social life, art, politics, and education. Kitcher has become increasingly moved by this reformist approach to philosophy, and the published essays included here, alongside a detailed introduction setting out Kitcher's views, provide motivation for his view of the "reconstruction of philosophy." These essays try to install the pragmatic spirit into contemporary philosophy, renewing James and Dewey for our own times. Preludes to Pragmatism 2 Preface 8 Contents 10 Introduction 12 1. The Importance of Dewey for Philosophy 36 2. The Naturalists Return 57 3. Real Realism: The Galilean Strategy 105 4. On the Explanatory Role of Correspondence Truth 145 5. Pragmatism and Realism: A Modest Proposal 163 6. Does ‘Race’ Have a Future? 180 7. Mathematical Truth ? 201 8. Carnap and the Caterpillar 227 9. Philosophy Inside Out 245 10. A Pragmatist’s Progress 258 11. Challenges for Secularism 291 12. Militant Modern Atheism 323 13. Naturalistic Ethics without Fallacies 338 14. The Hall of Mirrors 360 15. Education, Democracy, and Capitalism 379 16. Public Knowledge and Its Discontents 398 17. Varieties of Altruism 423 Sources 450 Index 452 Preludes,to,Pragmatism The published essays of Philip Kitcher included here, alongside a detailed introduction setting out his views, provide, motivation for his view of the "reconstruction of philosophy." These essays try to install the pragmatic spirit into contemporary philosophy, renewing James and Dewey for our own times. Book jacket. In these essays, distinguished philosopher Philip Kitcher argues for a reconstruction of philosophy along the lines of classical Pragmatism