Peirce, James, and a Pragmatic Philosophy of Religion

This title shows how an understanding of the intentionality underlining the pragmatism of Peirce and James can herald new interpretations of the interplay between philosophy and religion. In this book, John W. Woell shows us how contemporary readings of "American Pragmatism" founded on mistakenly used categories of the Analytic tradition have led to misreadings of Peirce and James. By focusing on terms drawn largely from Descartes and Kant, contemporary debates between metaphysical realists, antirealists, Realists and Nonrealists, have, argues Woell, failed to shed any lights on pragmatism in general and a pragmatic philosophy of religion in particular. Woell contends that paying close attention to the role of intentionality in experience in the respective works of Peirce and James provides a means for fully appreciating pragmatism's richness as a resource for philosophy of religion. By taking account of a pragmatic point of view in philosophy of religion, this book incites a more productive discussion of the metaphysical status of religious objects and of the epistemic status of religious belief. "Continuum Studies in American Philosophy" presents cutting-edge scholarship in both the history of and contemporary movements in American philosophy. The wholly original arguments, perspectives and research findings in titles in this series make it an important and stimulating resource for students and academics from across the field.Table of ContentPart I; Introduction: No Running in the Hall; 1. Realisms, Antirealisms, Nonrealisms, Pragmatisms; 2. Doubt, Fallibilism, and Method; 3. Thoughts, Things, and Theories; 4. Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Radical Empiricism; Part II; Introduction: Reign of the Philosopher Priests; 5. Realisms, Antirealisms, Nonrealisms, Religion; 6. Peirce, James, and the Reality of God; 7. The Truth of Religions and Religious Truth; 8. Criticism and Religious Belief; Conclusion: A Pragmatic Approach to the Philosophy of Religion; Bibliography; Index.Review QuoteIn this important book, Woell carefully demonstrates whyinterpreting Peirce and James against the background supplied by contemporarydebates about realism is a serious mistake. Preoccupation with those debates isblocking the road to inquiry concerning the real nature and significance ofpragmatism. His painstaking analysis early in the book is designed to removethat obstacle, enabling him, in succeeding chapters, to offer a remarkablyfresh reading of these two thinkers. This book demands the attention of anyscholar who is interested in understanding pragmatism on its own terms, or indeveloping the prospects for a philosophy of religion articulated in a genuinelypragmatic idiom.Biographical NoteJohn W. Woell is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Greensboro College, USAShows how an understanding of the intentionality underlining the pragmatism of Peirce and James can herald new interpretations of the interplay between philosophy and religion.Now Bloomsbury Studies in American Philosophy; for up-to-date details of titles published after September 2012 and for a series description click here. Continuum Studies in American Philosophy presents cutting-edge scholarship in both the history of and contemporary movements in American philosophy. The wholly original arguments, perspectives and research findings in titles in this series make it an important and stimulating resource for students and academics from across the field.An important exploration of the ideas of Peirce and James concerning philosophy and religionProvides a means for fully appreciating pragmatism's richness as a resource for philosophy of religionSteers contemporary debates surrounding pragmatism in a new direction by focusing on intentionality