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Book Cover for: Preludes to Pragmatism: Toward a Reconstruction of Philosophy, Philip Kitcher

Preludes to Pragmatism: Toward a Reconstruction of Philosophy

Philip Kitcher

Over the last two decades the distinguished philosopher Philip Kitcher has started to make a serious case for pragmatism as the source of a new life in contemporary philosophy. There are some, like Kitcher, who view today's analytic philosophy as mired in narrowly focused, technical disputes of little interest to the wider world. What is the future of philosophy, and what would it look like?

Book Details

  • Publisher: Oxford University Press
  • Publish Date: Nov 1st, 2012
  • Pages: 464
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 9.30in - 6.30in - 1.80in - 1.45lb
  • EAN: 9780199899555
  • Categories: History & Surveys - ModernMovements - Pragmatism

About the Author

Philip Kitcher is a John Dewey Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University.

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Book Cover for: Living with Darwin: Evolution, Design, and the Future of Faith, Philip Kitcher
Book Cover for: Life After Faith: The Case for Secular Humanism, Philip Kitcher
Book Cover for: Ethical Project, Philip Kitcher
Book Cover for: The Nature of Mathematical Knowledge, Philip Kitcher
Book Cover for: Joyce's Kaleidoscope: An Invitation to Finnegans Wake, Philip Kitcher
Book Cover for: The Main Enterprise of the World: Rethinking Education, Philip Kitcher
Book Cover for: Deaths in Venice: The Cases of Gustav Von Aschenbach, Philip Kitcher
Book Cover for: The Lives to Come, Philip Kitcher
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Praise for this book

"Preludes to Pragmatism is an important and rewarding book."--Christopher Hookway, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"In this lively and lucid collection of essays, Philip Kitcher--one of America's leading philosophers--seeks to further the reform of philosophy inspired by the pragmatic tradition of James and Dewey. Critical of the current state of Anglophone philosophy, he develops a pragmatic naturalism that deals with some of the most pressing cultural issues of our time-including the meaning of value in contemporary society and the reconciliation of science and religion. Anyone interested in the creative potential of pragmatism for the reconstruction of philosophy today will find this insightful book invaluable."--Richard J. Bernstein, Vera List Professor of Philosophy, New School for Social Research

"In articles ranging from metaphysics and philosophy of mathematics to ethics and the philosophy of religion, Preludes to Pragmatism develops and makes a powerful case for pragmatic naturalism. By drawing on, extending, and emending ideas drawn from the classical pragmatists, Philip Kitcher argues that no appeal to transcendent, non-natural entities is required to underwrite our deepest theoretical commitments, or rationalize our practices."--Catherine Z. Elgin, Harvard University

"Philip Kitcher's Preludes to Pragmatism offers a radical 'reconstruction of philosophy' which aims to renew the projects of William James and John Dewey. Advocating a form of 'pragmatic naturalism, ' Kitcher's aim is not simply to use pragmatist ideas as material for a more sophisticated reformed 'normal philosophy.' Rather than using pragmatist ideas to provide better solutions to familiar problems, he follows Dewey in seeking to 'liberate philosophy' from familiar questions that can now be transcended. Whether discussing atheism or secularism, race or altruism, he meets familiar views with pragmatist challenges that can change the philosophical terrain. In doing so, he contributes to the truth of his claim that pragmatism is one of the most significant developments in the history of philosophy."--Christopher Hookway, University of Sheffield