Beyond Realism and Antirealism: John Dewey and the Neopragmatists (The Vanderbilt Library of American Philosophy)

257 Pages·2003·0.63 MB·English

by  David L. Hildebrand

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David L. Hildebrand
Beyond Realism
and Antirealism
THE VANDERBILT LIBRARY OF AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY offers
interpretive perspectives on the historical roots of American
philosophy and on present innovative developments in American
thought, including studies of values, naturalism, social philosophy,
cultural criticism, and applied ethics.
Series Editors
Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr., General Editor
(Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis)
Cornelis de Waal, Associate Editor
(Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis)
Editorial Advisory Board
Kwame Anthony Appiah (Harvard)
Larry Hickman (Southern Illinois University)
John Lachs (Vanderbilt)
John J. McDermott (Texas A&M)
Joel Porte (Cornell)
Hilary Putnam (Harvard)
Ruth Anna Putnam (Wellesley)
Beth J. Singer (Brooklyn College)
John J. Stuhr (Pennsylvania State)
Beyond Realism
and Antirealism:
John Dewey
and the
Neopragmatists
David L. Hildebrand
Vanderbilt University Press
Nashville
© 2003 Vanderbilt University Press
All rights reserved
First Edition 2003
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hildebrand, David L., 1964–
Beyond realism and antirealism : John Dewey and the
neopragmatists / David L. Hildebrand.
p. cm. — (The Vanderbilt library of American philosophy)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8265-1426-X (alk. paper)
ISBN 0-8265-1427-8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Pragmatism. 2. Realism. 3. Dewey, John, 1859–1952.
4. Rorty, Richard. 5. Putnam, Hilary. 6. Philosophy, American.
I. Title. II. Series.
B944.P72 H55 2003
144'.3—dc21
2002153463
For Margaret Louise

Contents
Preface ix
Abbreviations xi
1 Introduction 1
2 Dewey and Realism 8
3 Dewey and Idealism 30
4 Rorty, Putnam, and Classical Pragmatism 87
5 Neopragmatism’s Realism/Antirealism Debate 155
6 Beyond Realism and Antirealism 177
Notes 195
Bibliography 227
Index 235

Preface
This book grew out a confrontation with a simple question: What is
pragmatism? Perhaps I can save time for some readers by giving the
answer: no one really knows. Ever since A. O. Lovejoy published “The
Thirteen Pragmatisms” in 1908, any hope of permanently fixing a single
meaning went out the window. Even now, the meaning of pragmatism
is shifting, as it is appropriated and employed by philosophers, literary
critics, historians, economists, art historians, and educators, to name
just a few. Regardless, this book speaks confidently about “pragmatism”
in an attempt to corral its meaning. (This is how one deals with unan-
swerable questions—one makes them their own.)
A few qualifications, at the outset, seem in order. While my primary
objective is to contrast “classical pragmatism” with “neopragmatism,”
let me be clear that I am primarily concerned with classical pragmatism
in the mode of John Dewey, though William James and Charles S. Peirce
are called upon from time to time. As for “neopragmatism,” it too does
not name a single, unified philosophy; therefore, I have confined my
attention to the two most interesting and influential neopragmatists,
Richard Rorty and Hilary Putnam.
Beyond Realism and Antirealism has two general aims, one histori-
cal, the other pragmatic. The historical aim is to evaluate the cogency
of the neopragmatists’ interpretations of Dewey’s pragmatism and to
use those conclusions to assess neopragmatism per se. The prag-
matic aim is to determine whether or not neopragmatism is a way “be-
yond” the realism/antirealism debate that currently consumes signifi-
cant amounts of philosophical energy.
ix