Pragmatism is America's most distinctive philosophy. In the received history, it has been understood as a development of European thought in response to the "American wilderness." A closer examination, however, reveals that the roots and central commitments of pragmatism are grounded in ways of thinking indigenous to North America. It is the purpose of Native Pragmatism to recover this history and in so doing provide the means to re-conceive the scope and potential of American philosophy. Pragmatism has been at best only partially understood by those who focus on its European antecedents. The recovery of the history of pragmatism developed here throws new light on its complex origins and demands a rethinking not only of pragmatism but also of the sources and roles of African American and feminist thought in the development of the American philosophical tradition. Pratt demonstrates that pragmatism and its development involved the work of a wide range of thinkers who have been overlooked in the history of philosophy. In Native Pragmatism, Scott L. Pratt explores the connections between American pragmatism and Native American thought.
He argues that philosophical ideas and attitudes prevalent among Native Americans constituted an essential element in the development of pragmatism. His suggestion is original, his argument compelling. Certain to be controversial, the book is likely remain at the centre of debate for some time. The significance of Pratt's thesis reaches far beyond philosophy and American history. Ultimately, he engages questions of pluralism and cultural difference.
Pragmatism is America's most distinctive philosophy. In the received history, it has been understood as a development of European thought in response to the "American wilderness." A closer examination, however, reveals that the roots and central commitments of pragmatism are grounded in ways of thinking indigenous to North America. It is the purpose of Native Pragmatism to recover this history and in so doing provide the means to re-conceive the scope and potential of American philosophy. Pragmatism has been at best only partially understood by those who focus on its European antecedents. The recovery of the history of pragmatism developed here throws new light on its complex origins and demands a rethinking not only of pragmatism but also of the sources and roles of African American and feminist thought in the development of the American philosophical tradition. Pratt demonstrates that pragmatism and its development involved the work of a wide range of thinkers who have been overlooked in the history of philosophy. In Native Pragmatism, Scott L. Pratt explores the connections between American pragmatism and Native American thought.
He argues that philosophical ideas and attitudes prevalent among Native Americans constituted an essential element in the development of pragmatism. His suggestion is original, his argument compelling. Certain to be controversial, the book is likely remain at the centre of debate for some time. The significance of Pratt's thesis reaches far beyond philosophy and American history. Ultimately, he engages questions of pluralism and cultural difference.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Problem of Origins
2. American Pragmatism
3. The Colonial Attitude
4. American Progress
5. The Indigenous Attitude
6. Welcoming the Cannibals
7. The Logic of Place
8. "This Very Ground"
9. Science and Sovereignty
10. The Logic of Home
11. Feminism and Pragmatism
Conclusion: The Legacy of Native American Thought
Notes
Works Cited
Index
Explores the connections between American pragmatism and Native American thought.
Scott L. Pratt is Associate Professor of Philosophy and head of the Philosophy Department at the University of Oregon. He received his B. A. in philosophy from Beloit College (Wisconsin) and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He teaches American Philosophy and the history of Modern European Philosophy, and is co-editor of American Philosophies: An Anthology and The Philosophical Writings of Cadwallader Colden.
Accepting the common view that pragmatism is the uniquely American
philosophy, Pratt (Univ. of Oregon) maintains that much of what
American philosophy is known for can be traced to its origins in
the borderlands between Europe and America and its 'originality' to
well—established aspects of Native American thought. At these
borderlands, he discerns the emergence of an attitude of resistance
to the attitudes of European colonialism. This new attitude drove
commitments to interaction, pluralism, community, and growth, the
core of pragmatic thought. He plumbs Native American thought for
sources of these commitments; he argues for the influence of a
Native Prophetic movement on Benjamin Franklin, whose ideas in turn
influenced the initial formulation of pragmatism by Peirce and
James. He also asserts a prominent role for Native thought in the
development of the women's movement. Readers may be skeptical
regarding the extent to which Native thought shaped pragmatism, and
Pratt admits that his volume is not intended as a comprehensive
history, but rather as an additional perspective. Read as such,
this is an interesting and insightful study of the origins of
American pragmatism. For general readers and upper—division
undergraduates through faculty.
*Choice*
. . . [T]his is an interesting and insightful study of the origins
of American pragmatism. November 2002
*Choice*
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