Perhaps the most significant development in American philosophy in the late 20th century has been the extraordinary renaissance of pragmatism, marked most notably by the reformulations of the so-called ""neopragmatists"" Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam. With pragmatism offering the allure of potentially resolving the impasse between epistemological realists and antirealists, analytic and continental philosophers, as well as thinkers across the disciplines, have been energized and engaged by this movement. 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?

Perhaps the most significant development in American philosophy in recent times has been the extraordinary renaissance of Pragmatism, marked most notably by the reformulations of the so-called "Neopragmatists" Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam. With Pragmatism offering the allure of potentially resolving the impasse between epistemological realists and antirealists, analytic and continental philosophers, as well as thinkers across the disciplines, have been energized and engaged by this movement.In Beyond Realism and Antirealism: John Dewey and the Neopragmatists, David L. Hildebrand asks two important questions: first, how faithful are the Neopragmatists' reformulations of Classical Pragmatism (particularly Deweyan Pragmatism)? Second, and more significantly, can their Neopragmatisms work?In assessing Neopragmatism, Hildebrand advances a number of historical and critical points:• Current debates between realists and antirealists (as well as objectivists and relativists) are similar to early twentieth-century debates between realists and idealists that Pragmatism addressed extensively.• Despite their debts to Dewey, the Neopragmatists are reenacting realist and idealist stands in their debate over realism, thus giving life to something shown fruitless by earlier Pragmatists.• What is absent from the Neopragmatist's position is precisely what makes Pragmatism enduring: namely, its metaphysical conception of experience and a practical starting point for philosophical inquiry that such experience dictates.• Pragmatism cannot take the "linguistic turn" insofar as that turn mandates a theoretical starting point.• While Pragmatism's view of truth is perspectival, it is nevertheless not a relativism.• Pace Rorty, Pragmatism need not be hostile to metaphysics; indeed, it demonstrates how pragmatic instrumentalism and metaphysics are complementary.In examining these and other difficulties in Neopragmatism, Hildebrand is able to propose some distinct directions for Pragmatism. Beyond Realism and Antirealism will provoke specialists and non-specialists alike to rethink not only the definition of Pragmatism, but its very purpose.

Marking the centennial of John Dewey's Experience and Nature (1925), this volume offers the first book-length critical guide to what is widely considered Dewey's philosophical masterpiece. Written by an international team of leading scholars, the book explores Experience and Nature's enduring relevance across a range of fields, including philosophy, science, education, aesthetics, political theory, and cultural studies. Each chapter addresses key themes and concepts from Dewey's work-such as naturalism, embodiment, value, language, and the continuity of experience and nature-while situating them in relation to contemporary debates. This interdisciplinary volume is ideal for students and researchers in pragmatism, American philosophy, intellectual history, and democratic theory. Clear, engaging, and rich, it is an essential resource for understanding one of the most ambitious and original contributions to twentieth-century philosophy.

Marking the centennial of John Dewey's Experience and Nature (1925), this volume offers the first book-length critical guide to what is widely considered Dewey's philosophical masterpiece. Written by an international team of leading scholars, the book explores Experience and Nature's enduring relevance across a range of fields, including philosophy, science, education, aesthetics, political theory, and cultural studies. Each chapter addresses key themes and concepts from Dewey's work-such as naturalism, embodiment, value, language, and the continuity of experience and nature-while situating them in relation to contemporary debates. This interdisciplinary volume is ideal for students and researchers in pragmatism, American philosophy, intellectual history, and democratic theory. Clear, engaging, and rich, it is an essential resource for understanding one of the most ambitious and original contributions to twentieth-century philosophy.

A ground-breaking introduction to one of America''s most prominent philosophersAn icon of philosophy and psychology during the first half of the 20th century, Dewey is known as the father of Functional Psychology and a pivotal figure of the Pragmatist movement as well as the progressive movement in education. This concise and critical look at Dewey’s work examines his unique take on morality, art, and religion, his naturalistic approach to science and psychology, and his contribution to political thought. The author of over forty books across a range of topic, Dewey’s legacy remains not only through the works he left us, but also through the institutions he founded, which include The New School for Social Research in New York City and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Hildebrand’s biography brilliantly interweaves the different strands of Dewey''s thought, and examines the legacy he left behind.

Perhaps the most significant development in American philosophy in the late 20th century has been the extraordinary renaissance of pragmatism, marked most notably by the reformulations of the so-called ""neopragmatists"" Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam. With pragmatism offering the allure of potentially resolving the impasse between epistemological realists and antirealists, analytic and continental philosophers, as well as thinkers across the disciplines, have been energized and engaged by this movement. 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?

Perhaps the most significant development in American philosophy in recent times has been the extraordinary renaissance of Pragmatism, marked most notably by the reformulations of the so-called "Neopragmatists" Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam. With Pragmatism offering the allure of potentially resolving the impasse between epistemological realists and antirealists, analytic and continental philosophers, as well as thinkers across the disciplines, have been energized and engaged by this movement.In Beyond Realism and Antirealism: John Dewey and the Neopragmatists, David L. Hildebrand asks two important questions: first, how faithful are the Neopragmatists' reformulations of Classical Pragmatism (particularly Deweyan Pragmatism)? Second, and more significantly, can their Neopragmatisms work?In assessing Neopragmatism, Hildebrand advances a number of historical and critical points:• Current debates between realists and antirealists (as well as objectivists and relativists) are similar to early twentieth-century debates between realists and idealists that Pragmatism addressed extensively.• Despite their debts to Dewey, the Neopragmatists are reenacting realist and idealist stands in their debate over realism, thus giving life to something shown fruitless by earlier Pragmatists.• What is absent from the Neopragmatist's position is precisely what makes Pragmatism enduring: namely, its metaphysical conception of experience and a practical starting point for philosophical inquiry that such experience dictates.• Pragmatism cannot take the "linguistic turn" insofar as that turn mandates a theoretical starting point.• While Pragmatism's view of truth is perspectival, it is nevertheless not a relativism.• Pace Rorty, Pragmatism need not be hostile to metaphysics; indeed, it demonstrates how pragmatic instrumentalism and metaphysics are complementary.In examining these and other difficulties in Neopragmatism, Hildebrand is able to propose some distinct directions for Pragmatism. Beyond Realism and Antirealism will provoke specialists and non-specialists alike to rethink not only the definition of Pragmatism, but its very purpose.

Marking the centennial of John Dewey's Experience and Nature (1925), this volume offers the first book-length critical guide to what is widely considered Dewey's philosophical masterpiece. Written by an international team of leading scholars, the book explores Experience and Nature's enduring relevance across a range of fields, including philosophy, science, education, aesthetics, political theory, and cultural studies. Each chapter addresses key themes and concepts from Dewey's work-such as naturalism, embodiment, value, language, and the continuity of experience and nature-while situating them in relation to contemporary debates. This interdisciplinary volume is ideal for students and researchers in pragmatism, American philosophy, intellectual history, and democratic theory. Clear, engaging, and rich, it is an essential resource for understanding one of the most ambitious and original contributions to twentieth-century philosophy.

Marking the centennial of John Dewey's Experience and Nature (1925), this volume offers the first book-length critical guide to what is widely considered Dewey's philosophical masterpiece. Written by an international team of leading scholars, the book explores Experience and Nature's enduring relevance across a range of fields, including philosophy, science, education, aesthetics, political theory, and cultural studies. Each chapter addresses key themes and concepts from Dewey's work-such as naturalism, embodiment, value, language, and the continuity of experience and nature-while situating them in relation to contemporary debates. This interdisciplinary volume is ideal for students and researchers in pragmatism, American philosophy, intellectual history, and democratic theory. Clear, engaging, and rich, it is an essential resource for understanding one of the most ambitious and original contributions to twentieth-century philosophy.

A ground-breaking introduction to one of America''s most prominent philosophersAn icon of philosophy and psychology during the first half of the 20th century, Dewey is known as the father of Functional Psychology and a pivotal figure of the Pragmatist movement as well as the progressive movement in education. This concise and critical look at Dewey’s work examines his unique take on morality, art, and religion, his naturalistic approach to science and psychology, and his contribution to political thought. The author of over forty books across a range of topic, Dewey’s legacy remains not only through the works he left us, but also through the institutions he founded, which include The New School for Social Research in New York City and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Hildebrand’s biography brilliantly interweaves the different strands of Dewey''s thought, and examines the legacy he left behind.