The Increasing Attractiveness of Classical Pragmatism

Abstract

In 1951, Max H. Fisch put forward the idea that there is a distinct American philosophy that could be considered classical and he outlined the characteristic themes and proponents of “classical American philosophy.” In this paper it is argued that the themes Fisch listed characterize a broad pragmatic ethos and can be used to help clarify what should count as classical pragmatism. This is the pragmatism that is increasingly attractive to philosophers today rather than the narrow technical pragmatism of Charles Peirce. It is further argued that, contrary to many accounts, Peirce regarded his narrower doctrine, which he called pragmaticism, as a technical variant of the more general pragmatism and that Peirce was a classical pragmatist along with James, Dewey, and the others.