Rescuing Dewey: Essays in Pragmatic Naturalism (Studies in Ethics and Economics)

This volume rescues an often misunderstood, underappreciated, and radical John Dewey. It centers on his rejection of traditional epistemology for his original and powerful view of \_logic\_ with serious implications for general philosophy, the philosophy of the human sciences, including psychology, and the philosophy of democracy.

This book rescues an often misunderstood, underappreciated, and radical John Dewey. It centers on his rejection of traditional epistemology for his original and powerful view of logic-with serious implications for general philosophy, the philosophy of the human sciences, including psychology, and the philosophy of democracy. The goal of this work is not to try to rescue Dewey from his critics, but to rescue Dewey from his friends-from those who ignore the implications of Dewey's naturalism to those influenced by Richard Rorty who take Dewey's rejection of insurrectionary politics too far. While it is true that Dewey rejected insurrectionary politics and was no fire-eating leftist, his analysis of the present was radical in the sense that it went straight to the roots. Peter T. Manicas examines how this made Dewey's politics similar to those of Marx in many crucial ways and the positive effort of these essays places Dewey's naturalism at the forefront, resolving some of the tensions and misunderstandings stemming from his body of work. Doing so requires serious reconsideration of some of his most characteristic views on philosophy-especially of logic and epistemology-science, and democracy.

Introduction Pragmatism and science Pragmatic philosophy of science and the charge of scientism John Dewey and American psychology John Dewey and American social science Culture and nature Not another epistemology Naturalism and subjectivism Naturalizing epistemology : recent developments in psychology and the sociology of knowledge Democracy American democracy : a new spirit in the world John Dewey : anarchism and the political state Philosophy and politics : a historical approach to Marx and Dewey John Dewey and the problem of justice Liberalism's discontent : America in search for past that never was Why not Dewey? The evasion of philosophy Democratic hope Analytic pragmatism Post-modern pragmatism. "This book rescues an often-misunderstood, underappreciated, and radical John Dewey. It centers on his rejection of traditional epistemology for his original and powerful view of "logic" - with serious implications for general philosophy, the philosophy of the human sciences, including psychology, and the philosophy of democracy. The goal of this work is not to try to rescue Dewey from his critics, but to rescue Dewey from his friends - from those who ignore the implications of Dewey's naturalism to those influenced by Richard Rorty who take Dewey's rejection of insurrectionary politics too far."--BOOK JACKET