Seeking the Middle Way in Pragmatist Philosophy of Religion

Abstract

The present essay will illuminate the nature of metaphysics, pragmatically understood, by examining the idea of a “middle way”, or via media, in the context of pragmatist philosophy of religion. In metaphysics and elsewhere, the most reasonable philosophical position often lies in between implausible extremes, although the extreme positions may be more interesting. This article, seeking to identify and defend some methodological options for the metaphysical “middle-ground-seeker”, suggests that a pragmatist methodology is a plausible approach for the one who attempts to maintain the middle ground and that promising versions of such methodology can be found in William James’s and John Dewey’s pragmatisms. The Jamesian and Deweyan case studies to be taken up come from the philosophy of
religion. First, James’s pragmatic way of dealing with metaphysical (including religious) issues in Pragmatism is considered, also in comparison to Kant’s antinomies; subsequently, Dewey’s pragmatically naturalist philosophy of religion is discussed along the same lines. Accordingly, instead of exploring the prospects of pragmatist metaphysics in general terms, this topic will be approached through these two case studies mainly focusing on the metaphysical aspects of the philosophy of religion; yet, this yields a general moral whose relevance extends beyond the philosophy of religion, as metaphysics fi nally emerges as dependent on ethics.