Pragmatism: A Reader

by Louis Menand (Editor)

Pragmatism has been called America's only major contribution to philosophy. But since its birth was announced a century ago in 1898 by William James, pragmatism has played a vital role in almost every area of American intellectual and cultural life, inspiring judges, educators, politicians, poets, and social prophets.

Now the major texts of American pragmatism, from William James and John Dewey to Richard Rorty and Cornel West, have been brought together and reprinted unabridged. From the first generation of pragmatists, including the Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes and the founder of semiotics, Charles Sanders Peirce, to the leading figures in the contemporary pragmatist revival, including the philosopher Hilary Putnam, the jurist Richard Posner, and the literary critic Richard Poirier, all the contributors to this volume are remarkable for the wit and vigor of their prose and the mind-clearing force of their ideas. Edited and with an Introduction by Louis Menand, Pragmatism: A Reader will provide both the general reader and the student of American culture with excitement and pleasure.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Academic, Theory, Politics, Research

560 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 1997

About the author

Louis Menand, professor of English at Harvard University, is the author of The Metaphysical Club, which won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in History. A longtime staff writer for The New Yorker, he lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Chant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of books that are complied as "readers" always tend to not always satisfy everyone that picks up that specific reader. Many will claim that x-article wasn't included or x-portion of x-book wasn't placed into the reader. In the case of "Pragmatism: A Reader" I can't really say if all the central articles or portions of books were included.

Another note is that I didn't read the whole book from front to back, mainly because I felt some writers included in this reader were easier to read than others, an example being that I found Pierce easier to read than Dewey, which I assume is heresy for many people to read. The selection of "neo-pragmatists" was good, but I think the book should have included something from Rorty's "Philosophy and the mirror of nature", as I think that is Rorty's best known and best expression of what we call/consider "neo-pragmatism".

I would say if you find this text in a used book store (like I did), then I would suggest picking it up, but buying it new? I would really suggest giving it a skimming of the articles presented before purchasing this book. As a person that mainly reads analytic journals/books, I think having some readings under your belt from the pragmatists will be somewhat beneficial (at least to me).

[Colin Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good introduction to pragmatism. Menand's introductory essay and the essay by Bernstein are outstanding, and the selections from James are to-the-point and representative. The Rorty essay on Derrida, while interesting, seems out of place, as do a few of the Peirce selections. Overall, though, many different disciplines - including sociology, law & political science - are represented in the book, and this speaks well of pragmatism and this anthology.

[Jeffrey N. Hora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendously valuable overview of the philosophical approach named Pragmatism. The original texts by a number of influential folks Really helped me gain a clearer view of what Pragmatism is, the place it holds in American thought, and a view into how this impacts who we are today and where we might be going as a society.

Very highly recommended.

[Hannah Hamblin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read the majority of this for my Pragmatism class. While it was fascinating and did teach me quite a few things I never would’ve known if I hadn’t picked it up… I am so glad to be done with it.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find Pragmatism to be a very alluring, yet frustratingly blunt school of thought....almost some sort of twisted carnival cousin of Wittgenstein. "It just works" is an equally blunt, if not crude, way to summarize pragmatism - a largely American philosophical tradition. You might recognize some of the names for their less overtly pragmatic work: John Dewey and William James, to name a few. I find them to be very intriguing reads, but their philosophical aspirations come up short without rooting perspective within enough significance.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good introduction to American pragmatism in philosophy, literature, law, and social thought. It is a little light on the more analytic strains in Pragmatism, but is otherwise a fantastic reader.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommend the introduction.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pragmatism: A Reader by Louis Menand (1997)

[Ryan Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

incredible how ahead of their time these thinkers seem to be. some of us are born pragmatic without any sense of how far reaching that really is. i love how relevant all of this is.

read it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many great essays, with a few (by Dewey and Addams) that didn't speak to me. Many could benefit by integrating pragmatist insights into the way the way they navigate the world.