1st Edition

The Two Pragmatisms From Peirce to Rorty

By Howard Mounce Copyright 1997
    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    The Two Pragmatisms - From Peirce to Rorty maps the main movements within the pragmatist tradition. Two distinct forms of pragmatism are identified, that of Peirce and that of the `second' pragmatism stemming from James' interpretation of Peirce and seen in the work of Dewey and above all Rorty. Both the influential work of Rorty and the way in which he has transformed contemporary philosophy's understanding of pragmatism are clearly explained.
    The Two Pragmatisms - From Peirce to Rorty is essential reading for those interested in the history of this increasingly influential movement, whether first-time philosophers or more advanced readers.

    Introduction, 1. Peirce: his background and his account of inquiry, 2. Peirce: the theory of signs, 3. Peirce: Pragmatism and William James, 4. Peirce: metaphysics and cosmology, 5. James: background and The Principles of Psychology, 6. James: ‘The Will to Believe’, 7. James: The Varieties of Religious Experience, 8. Dewey: background and philosophical psychology, 9. Dewey: philosophy and Empiricism, 10. Dewey: Radical Empiricism, 11. Rorty: the mirror of nature, 12. Rorty: hermeneutics and irony, 13. Rorty: the history of philosophy, Summary and conclusion, Notes, Bibliography, Index

    Biography

    H. O. Mounce lectures in philosophy at the University of Wales, Swansea. He is the author of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus: An Introduction.