American Philosophy, PHIL 3172
The George Washington University
R. Carr, PhD
Course Description
The development of Pragmatism takes place from the time
of the Civil War until the outbreak of WW II. This classical
pragmatism is the work of three American philosophers who
broke from European traditions and made original entries
into the encyclopedia of philosophy. "Pragmatism" is a
theory of meaning that accounts for the ways in which
thinking enters into experience and experience determines
the truth of our concepts and beliefs. These philosophers
radicalized traditional notions of truth and experience and
democratized the reach and importance of philosophy.
Charles Peirce (1839-1914), William James (1842-1910),
and John Dewey (1859-1952) are the classical pragmatists.
Following the study of John Dewey, we will read some of the
work of two public intellectuals: Alain Locke, the intellectual
spokesman for the Harlem Renaissance, and Richard Rorty,
a neo-pragmatist of the second half of the 20th Century.
Engagement with American Philosophy, its theory of
pragmatism and concepts of experience and truth, will be
through reading primary texts, lecture, class discussions,
and writing about ideas that are still philosophically
significant in making life worth living.
Learning Objectives
Analysis:
1.Read critically philosophical texts. Improve one's ability to
determine what is significant and what is insignificant.
2.Understand and analyze the logical structure of specific
philosophical arguments.
3.Sharpen and deepen one's ability to think abstractly and to
form clear concepts.
Writing:
1.Become attentive to the writing of different philosophers
and think about the relationship between the style of writing
and philosophical content.
2.Improve one's writing. Understand that good writing results
from a practice of drafting, reworking, rethinking, and writing
again.
3.Write philosophical papers that are lucid, well-argued, and
supported by specific primary texts, not by secondary texts.
4.Write papers for a general audience that express
sophisticated ideas without a technical vocabulary.
Content:
Understand the main features of American Philosophy and
how they play out in Peirce, James, Dewey, Locke, and
Rorty. Specifically…
1. Thought is purposive.
2. Thought is fallible.
3. Radical Empiricism is more accurate than traditional
British Empiricism.
4. The scientific method is the best method that we currently
have to fix our beliefs.
5. Pragmatism is a method, not a systematized set of claims
about the world.
6. Truth is a concept and all concepts are plastic.
7.The individual is embedded in a community.
8. What we think and what we do can change the world for
the better.
Required Texts
The Essential Peirce Vol 1., edited by Houser and Kloesel
Pragmatism, W. James (may get online- Gutenberg Project)
The Essential Dewey, Vol 1, edited by Hickman and
Alexander
Recommended Texts
The Metaphysical Club, Louis Menand
America's Philosophical Vision, John Smith
Course Requirements and Grading
This philosophy course is a WID course. You will be writing 3
papers of 6-7 pages each and 1 final essay. Of course,
writing papers is an essential element of any philosophy
course. In writing, one is forced to get clear about what one
under and what one wants to communicate with others. We
often understand the text and can parrot its words, but
search to put the idea into our own words or really
understand it once we move from the specific language of
the text. Good writing comes from reading well-written
essays and books and articles, but it also comes from effort
and the willingness to make that effort. That this is a WID
course means that we reflect on the writing of the American
pragmatists and we will reflect and evaluate our own writing.
We will discuss the art of writing and we will practice it.
I will help you evaluate your writing and your peers will as
well. Reading another's writing and evaluating it helps
enormously in seeing anew our own writing.
James is a wonderful writer; his brother is Henry James.
James' style of writing is colloquial...he is talking to his
audience, to his reader. Delightful to read, but is James
philosophically shallow? Is he philosophically clear? We will
discuss this and your first paper will be a critical analysis of
one of James' works and your commentary.
Peirce is a philosopher's philosopher and his writing is
seriously dense and logically argued. Your paper on Peirce
will be a "book review" for a scholarly journal. This will
require you to understand Peirce's arguments, sift out the
significant from the insignificant, and then convey what you
understand to another scholar.
Dewey has some technical vocabulary and some important
conceptual analyses, esp. of "experience." But Dewey also
seems very easy to read. He was an important public
intellectual and wanted to convey his ideas to the people of
this country. For your Dewey paper, you will write an op-ed
piece for public consumption on an important social issue.
The final essay will require comprehension and mastery of a
number of concepts and the ability to argue a thesis using
appropriate evidence.
Grading
20%- textual analysis and critical commentary -paper on
James
25%- scholarly book review-paper on Peirce
25%- op-ed article on education-paper on Dewey
30%-comprehensive test and final essay question, according
to GWU final exam schedule
Class Policies
You are expected to attend class. After three unexcused
absences, your grade will be lowered.
You are expected to take your responsibilities as student
seriously and to study assigned readings both in preparation
for class and after class discussion.
Work is due at class time. I will want a hard copy of your
papers. Late work will not be accepted unless the absence is
excused.
Excused absences are: documented illness of the student,
death of a family member, or religious observance. Please
let me know the first week of class the dates you will be
absent for religious observance.
Let me know if you need academic accommodations.
Disability Support Services office is 202-994-8250.
My office is Phillips 508 and my office hours are TBD. You
may always reach me by email- rcarr@gwu.edu or by phone
703-474-6949.
Academic Integrity
There will be zero tolerance for cheating of any kind,
including misrepresenting one’s own work, taking credit for
the work of others without due credit, fabricating information,
etc. Please check with me if you have any questions. The
site for The George Washington Code of Academic Integrity
is http:/www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html.
University Counseling
The University offers 24/7 assistance and referral to
students. The number is 202-994-5300.
Security
In case of an emergency, the class should shelter in place. If
the building that the class is in is affected, follow evacuation
procedures.
Reading and Writing Assignments
Please note that the schedule is subject to change.
Readings in preparation for class are given with date of
class.
01/13-Introduction, Requirements, Expectations: Content
Mastery and WID
01/15-Development and Context of Pragmatism
Dewey,
"The Development of American Pragmatism"
James,
Pragmatism, Lectures 1,2
01/20- James' Pragmatism
James, Pragmatism,
Lectures 3,4,5
Review all definitions of pragmatism given in Lecture 2 and
read the Dewey article assigned 1/16.
01/22- James' Concept of Truth
James, Pragmatism, Lecture 6 and article attached from The
Meaning of Truth , see Projects
01/27- James' Humanism and Religion
Lectures 7 and 8
1st draft of James paper due, 1 copy to me, 1 copy to peer
reviewer
01/29- Sentiment of Rationality
article attached, see Projects
Peer Review comments on paper draft due
02/03-James' Radical Empiricism
article attached "The Will to Believe"
review all James readings
02/05- Texual Analysis and Critical Commentary- paper on
James
02/10- Introduction of Peirce's Thought
"Questions Concerning Certain Faculties Claimed for Man"
"Why I am a Fallibilist" in Projects
02/12-Peirce's Anti-Cartesianism
"Some Consequences of 4 Incapacities", especially pps. 4855
"Fixation of Belief"
02/17- Elements of Peirce's Method: Correctibility
"Fixation of Belief"
02/19- Elements of Peirce's Method: Clarity
"How to Make our Ideas Clear"
02/24-Elements of Peirce's Method: Induction
"The Order of Nature"
02/26- Order, Chance and Intelligibility:Peirce's Metaphysics
"A Guess at the Riddle" , pps.245-256 and 273-279
review of "The Order of Nature"
03/03-Peirce's Metaphysics
"The Doctrine of Necessity Examined"
review all of Peirce
03/05- 1st draft of "book revew" on Peirce article due, in
class group evaluations of drafts
Read Deweys' "The Need for a Recovery of Philosophy" over break and work on "book
review"
03/17- Introduction to Dewey and
Dewey's Reconstruction of Philosophy
"The Need for a Recovery of Philosophy"
"Philosophy and Civilization"
03/19- Dewey's Empiricism
"The Postulate of Immediate Experience"
Book Review paper on Peirce is due
03/24-Dewey's Empiricism
"Does Reality Possess Practical Character?"
03/26-Evolutionary Naturalism
What is the prototypically real?
"The Subject Matter of Metaphysical Inquiry"
"Events and the Future"
03/31- Re-thinking Education
"My Pedagogic Creed"
"The Child and the Curriculum"
"Education in Relation to Form"
04/02-Problems in Democracy
"Renascent Liberalism"
"Creative Democracy:The Task before Us"
04/07- The Art of Living
"The Live Creature"
"Religion versus the REligious"
04/09- Dewey's Aesthetics and Introduction to Alain Locke
Locke readings on Projects and Handout of Harlem
Renaissance
04/14- Writing as a Public Intellectual Workshop: Thinking
about Dewey's language
1st draft of Dewey paper prepared for class
04/16- Introduction to Alain Locke: Locke as Public
Intellectual
Locke readings on Projects...Harris’s Intro,”Values and
Imperatives,” Introduction to the New Negro
04/21-Rorty-Neo-pragmatism
Rorty readings on Projects
Final Dewey paper due
04/23-Review of American Pragmatism content and handout
of final essay question
: