This chapter was hard to work through, for any number of reasons—mostly, I think, because it wasn’t directly related to my question. It was mostly historical, though the bridge between Peirce and Rorty is relevant and important.
[Read more…]Pragmatism and democracy (Bacon, Chapter 2: Dewey)
Of the first wave of pragmatists — Peirce, James, and Dewey — Dewey spoke most explicitly about democracy, putting him at the heart of my inquiry about pragmatism and ethics in a post-truth world.
[Read more…]Pragmatism: Round 1, Fight! (Bacon, Chapter 1: Peirce and James)
I love how contested and contentious pragmatism has been — and that it’s been that way from the beginning.
[Read more…]Getting oriented: the arc of pragmatism (Bacon, Preface and Introduction)
It’s been awhile since I’ve spent much time with philosophy. It feels equal parts strange and good to be back.
[Read more…]Post-truth pragmatism: When “what works” stops working
For the most part, a loosely defined pragmatism has helped me make sense of the world fairly well. But in this “post-truth” era — including, but not limited to, Trump and his enablers — I’ve been feeling the need to think more rigorously.
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