Review by Booklist Review
Pragmatism, which editor Menand says "is an account of the way people think," is the most American contribution to philosophy, albeit, as he explains, one that many think is nearly an antiphilosophy. The foremost pragmatists were and are Americans. The great progenitors were C. S. Peirce and William James. Their immediate followers include the father of progressive education, John Dewey; the jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes; social worker Jane Addams; and the father of social psychology, George Herbert Mead. Contemporary avatars of what can seem a pragmatic revival include critic of philosophy Richard Rorty, philosopher of religion Cornel West, and legal scholar Richard A. Posner. The most important papers by all those and several less generally known figures are the contents of this reader. They aren't easy reading, but Menand's introduction is considerably more accessible; he is to be thanked for it as well as for bringing the most influential pragmatist writings together for those who feel up to their challenges. --Ray Olson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
