Bøger i Vanderbilt Library of American Philosophy serien

An original and ingenious introduction to the basic, experimental, trial-and-error process by which we acquire and validate facts and beliefs and through which we gain understanding and truth. Elements of Knowledge is an engaging introductory text, effectively and imaginatively designed to bring a working understanding and appreciation of the fundamental tenets and methods of the American school of philosophy known as pragmatism, as articulated by its founder C. S. Peirce, to undergraduates and general readers. It presents and explains the basic pragmatic tools that are the common thread in our acquisition and development of knowledge, whether in an academic, vocational, or professional setting, or in life at large. Pragmatism guides, without dictating, examinations of ordinary human experience, creative learning in all fields, and progress in academic disciplines.This book is intended for use by both general readers and students, particularly those in introductory logic or related philosophy courses. It will also fit well in the design of many core curriculum or general education course requirements. It is ultimately meant to be accessible and beneficial to anyone seeking a clearer understanding of the unifying principles for acquiring and assessing the soundness of all knowledge.

Peirce's Scientific Metaphysics is the first book devoted to understanding Charles Sanders Peirce's (1839-1914) metaphysics from the perspective of the scientific questions that motivated his thinking. While offering a detailed account of the scientific ideas and theories essential for understanding Peirce's metaphysical system, this book is written in a manner accessible to the non-specialist.

Opposing the traditional view of James as fragmented or populist, Cooper explores the metaphysical levels of pure experience and that of science and everyday life in his writings in order to argue that there is a systematic philosophy to be found in James's work.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest 20th-century philosophers of religion and metaphysicians, Charles Hartshorne (1897-2000) also addressed questions of aesthetics throughout his career. This study offers a detailed explication of Hartshorne's aesthetic theory and its wider context.

Provides a comparative examination of the philosophies of Wittgenstein and Santayana.

In this volume Hildebrand asks two questions: first, how faithful are the neopragmatists' reformulations of classical pragmatism (particularly Deweyan pragmatism); and, second, and more significantly, can their neopragmatism work?

An exposition of the birth and consistent growth of Dewey's commitment to an idealistic theory of knowledge in the context of a naturalistic empiricism.

A study of John William Miller's radical revision of the idealistic tradition. Vincent Colapietro situates Miller's powerful but neglected corpus not only in reference to Continental European philosophy but also to paradigmatic figures in American culture like Lincoln, Emerson, Thoreau and James.

In this contribution to moral theory, Todd Lekan argues for a pragmatist conception of morality as an evolving, educational and fallible practice. Drawing on the work of John Dewey, he asserts that moral norms are not timeless truths or subjective whims, but habits transmitted through practices.

The essays in this collection, all written by Dewey scholars, pay tribute to Dewey's logical theories, ranging from his work at the beginning of the 20th century to the culmination of his logical thought in the 1938 volume, ""Logic: The Theory of Inquiry"".

The essays in this collection, all written by Dewey scholars, pay tribute to Dewey's logical theories, ranging from his work at the beginning of the 20th century to the culmination of his logical thought in the 1938 volume, ""Logic: The Theory of Inquiry"".

This text, written in the spirit of William James, urges an appreciation of the intensely personal character of spiritual transcendence. Jamesian transcendence, according to author Phil Oliver, seeks to reconcile individual growth with social responsibility.

Defining an ""emphatic"" as an intrusion that alters the import of what it intrudes on, Weiss sets the stage for an exquisitely systematic, speculative study of the major themes confronting modern metaphysics.

Richard McKeon (1900-1985) is considered by those familiar with his work to be among the most important of all 20th-century philosophers. This work brings McKeon to the attention of contemporary philsosophers and students, whilst also putting his theories into practice.

Ryder makes available to English-speaking readers Russian views of the full range of American philosophical thought, from 17th century Puritanism through the colonial and revolutionary periods, 19th century idealism, pragmatism, naturalism and other 20th century movements and figures.

In this work, Patrick Shade makes a strong argument for the necessity of hope in a cynical world that too often rejects it as foolish. Using a variety of examples, he presents a theory rooted in the pragmatic thought of such American philosophers as C.S. Peirce, William James and John Dewey.