Cheryl Misak, “The American Pragmatists” (Oxford UP, 2013)
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What is the historical background of American pragmatism and why is it often misunderstood?
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Welcome to the New Books and Philosophy Channel of the New Books Network. My name is Robert Talise. I am professor of philosophy at Vanderbilt University. And I co host the channel with Carrie Figdor. Today, my guest is Professor Cheryl Misak. Cheryl is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. We'll be talking about her new book. The American pragmatists. Which has just been published with Oxford University Press. Pragmatism is America's homegrown philosophy. But it's not widely understood. This partly is due to the fact that pragmatism emerged out of deep philosophical disputes. among its earliest proponents. Charles Sanders Purse. William James and John Dewey. Although it is agreed that they are the founders of pragmatism.
They also held opposing views. About meaning. Truth. Reality. And value. A further complication emerges. In that it is widely believed. That pragmatism was purged from the philosophical mainstream and rendered dormant sometime around nineteen fifty. But then recovered only in the nineteen eighties. by Richard Roy. In her new book Professor Misak presents a nuanced analysis of the origins, development and prospects of pragmatism. She shows that pragmatism has always come in a variety of flavors. Ranging from the highly objectivist views of Peirce and Lewis to to the more subjectivist commitments of James and Rorty. More importantly Misak demonstrates that pragmatism has been a constantly evolving philosophical movement
That is consistently shaped. and formed the landscape of English language philosophy. On Mesak's account. Pragmatism is the philosophical thread. That runs through the work. of the most influential philosophers of the past century. Perse, James, Dewey, Lewis, Goodman. Quine, Cellars, Putnam, Rorty, And beyond. Our book will be of interest to anyone with interests in pragmatism. Or in twentieth century philosophy. So let's now turn to the interview. Hello, Cheryl Misak. Bye Bob. How are you doing today? I'm very well, thank you. Well, thank you so much for joining us on New Books in Philosophy. My pleasure. Today on New Books in Philosophy, my guest is Professor Cheryl Mesak. Cheryl has just published a book titled The American Pragmatists with Oxford University Press.
I highly recommend this book and I recommend it not only to those uh who may be listening, who have an interest in pragmatism as a philosophical tradition and Movement. Um But I also recommend it uh to those with interests in twentieth century and indeed twentieth first century philosophy. In her book, Cheryl manages to strike a a very admirable and delicate balance. Between historical narrative and telling the story of the development of pragmatism as a philosophical movement.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the historical background of American pragmatism and why is it often misunderstood?
0:00–7:59
2
How does Cheryl Misak describe the early dispute between Peirce, James, and Dewey over meaning, truth, and value?
7:59–18:21
3
Why does Misak argue that the ‘eclipse view’ of pragmatism’s disappearance after the 1950s is wrong?
18:21–28:51
4
Who was Chauncey Wright and what role did he play in the origins of pragmatism?
28:51–36:59
5
How do Peirce’s and James’s versions of the pragmatic maxim differ on the nature of truth?
36:59–46:17
6
What contributions did C. I. Lewis make to pragmatism and how did they influence later thinkers like Quine?
46:17–53:41
7
How does Misak contrast the ‘objective’ Peircean‑Lewis strand with the ‘subjective’ James‑Dewey‑Rorty strand?
53:41–1:01:07
8
What does Misak see as the current frontiers of pragmatism and her next research project on Cambridge pragmatism?
1:01:07–1:07:30
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