150 Years of Pragmatism
Pragmatism is a philosophy of praxis that concentrates on the dynamic character of social practices and material activities in particular historical circumstances. Moreover, it is a historicist philosophy that puts an emphasis on process, progress, transition, and the unpredictability of change. Pragmatists as different as William James, John Dewey, and Richard Rorty tell antifoundationalist stories of progress, that is, they seek to convince us that we should try to reach a point where we no longer deify anything and where we no longer look for God-substitutes. Trying to make the idea of a postmetaphysical and genuinely humanistic culture look attractive, pragmatists continue the legacy of the Enlightenment. This article discusses the question of whether it is possible to speak of a “pragmatist enlightenment” in this context. What would this term denote? What exactly are the implications of the idea that pragmatism, as a philosophy of praxis or “naturalistic humanism” (Dewey), can contribute to completing the project of the Enlightenment? Rorty’s antifoundationalist story of progress culminates in the attempt to make “a postmetaphysical culture” in which the idiosyncrasies of self- creation can coexist with the process of achieving democratic consensus about how to maximize happiness and how to develop new forms of solidarity. If we are willing to continue telling Deweyan and Rortyan narratives of progress and emancipation, then we should no longer worry about the analytic-continental split or controversy. One should focus on the most convincing, and most elegant, way of bringing together analytic philosophy, continental philosophy, intellectual history, literary studies, and American studies.