Abstract

Pragmatism originated in the United States in the 1870s, and since then it has been influential on numerous areas of philosophical thought. This volume of new essays demonstrates pragmatism’s continuing vitality and relevance to epistemology, social and political philosophy, applied ethics, metaphysics, and more. Drawing upon the thought of classical pragmatists including Peirce, James, Dewey, Addams, and du Bois, as well as upon that of more recent pragmatists such as Rorty, the essays address a diverse set of topics including artificial intelligence, authoritarianism, feminism, criminal punishment, the value of the environment, the black intellectual tradition, religious fundamentalism, academic freedom, and the moral status of prenatal humans. Concluding with leading contemporary pragmatist Cheryl Misak’s reflections on the future of the tradition, the volume demonstrates that pragmatism continues to be a source of valuable ideas and methods for philosophy today.