On Pragmatism

ON PRAGMATISM discusses the main figures and central issues of the pragmatist movement in philosophy. Individual chapters are devoted to Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, John Dewey, F. C. S. Schiller, C. I. Lewis, Richard Rorty, and Susan Haack. Additional chapters are devoted to the Italian Pragmatist movement, from the wild Papini to the meticulous Vailati, and to the relation between Pragmatism, Logical Positivism, and Analytic Philosophy. ON PRAGMATISM shows both the unity that shapes the movement and the differences between the individual thinkers, with special attention to their views on meaning, truth, and inquiry. The Wadsworth Philosophical Topics Series presents readers with concise, timely, and insightful introductions to a variety of traditional and contemporary philosophical subjects. With this series edited by Robert Talisse of Vanderbilt University, philosophy students will be able to discover the richness of philosophical inquiry across a wide array of concepts, including hallmark philosophical themes and topics typically underrepresented in mainstream philosophy publishing. Written by a distinguished list of scholars who have been noted for their exceptional teaching abilities, this series presents the vast sweep of today's philosophical exploration in highly accessible and affordable volumes. These books will prove valuable to philosophy teachers and their students as well as to other readers who share a general interest in philosophy.

This concise introduction explains the basis of pragmatism and outlines the major criticisms leveled against it. It emphasizes discussion of the work of figures like Peirce, James, Schillier, Papini, Vailati, Dewey, Lewis, Morris, Carnap, Quine, Rorty, and Haack. De Waal teaches at Indian University-Purdue University. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Cornelis de Waal teaches philosophy at Indiana University — Purdue University Indianapolis, where he also directs a graduate program in American philosophy. His main scholarly activity is the reorganization of the manuscripts of Charles S. Peirce for the monumental WRITINGS OF CHARLES S. PEIRCE: A CHRONOLOGICAL EDITION, of which he is one of the editors. Other books by Cornelis de Waal include ON MEAD and his critically acclaimed ON PEIRCE. Both appeared with Wadsworth.