Pragmatic Fashions: Pluralism, Democracy, Relativism, and the Absurd

272 Pages·2016·10.48 MB·English

by  John J. Stuhr

PRAGMATIC FASHIONS
AMERICAN PHILOSOPHY
John J. Stuhr, editor
Editorial Board
Susan Bordo
Vincent Colapietro
John Lachs
Noëlle McAfee
José Medina
Cheyney Ryan
Richard Shusterman
PRAGMATIC FASHIONS
Pluralism, Democracy, Relativism,
and the Absurd
John J. Stuhr
Indiana University Press
Bloomington & Indianapolis
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
Office of Scholarly Publishing
Herman B Wells Library 350
1320 East 10th Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47405 USA
iupress.indiana.edu
© 2016 by John J. Stuhr
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying
and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The
Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on
Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—
Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cataloging information is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-0-253-01884-7 (cloth)
ISBN 978-0-253-01891-5 (paperback)
ISBN 978-0-253-01897-7 (ebook)
1 2 3 4 5 21 20 19 18 17 16
For Jessica Wahman,
Ineffable love of my life,
Without whom this book would have been finished much sooner
but much less happily
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: Expressivism and Pragmatism 1
1 Chance Vistas and Sincerity in the Cosmic Labyrinth 8
2 Philosophies as Fashions 30
3 Does Philosophy Progress?: Criticism without Critique 60
4 Convergence and Difference: Immanent Pluralism 80
5 It’s All Relative: Beyond Absolutism and Nihilism 98
6 Expressions of Nature: Refashioning the Hudson River School 116
7 Old Ideals Crumble: War and the Limits of Philosophy 150
8 Democracy as Public Experiment:
Beyond Mission Accomplished and Mission Impossible 170
9 A Terrible Love of Hope: Toward Peace Before Death 188
10 Absurd Pragmatism 206
11 The Spring Collection:
Intermedia Moralia; or, a Romance of Our Incoherence 222
Notes 239
Index 253
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Acknowledgments
T
he teaching, writings, and personal support of many close colleagues and
former colleagues have had immense impact on my thought, an impact likely
beyond my ability to recognize and surely beyond my ability to acknowledge ad-
equately: Vincent Colapietro, John Lachs, Richard A. Lee Jr., John Lysaker, Jose
Medina, Andrew Mitchell, Kelly Oliver, Melvin Rogers, John Russon, Cheyney
Ryan, Charles E. Scott, Shannon Sullivan, Michael Sullivan, and Nancy Tuana.
Frequent participants in the American Philosophies Forum have also pro-
vided crucial intellectual stimulus and support: Megan Craig, Jeff Edmonds,
Cynthia Gayman, Jennifer Hansen, Robert Innis, Mary Magada-Ward, Edu-
ardo Mendieta, Richard Shusterman, Paul Taylor, Rosemary Tong, and Zach
Vanderveen. I owe special and substantial thanks to Megan Craig, who provided
thoughtful suggestions, detailed questions, and helpful prods that clarified and
strengthened this book.
As a former student, a research assistant, and now a colleague and friend,
Mark Fagiano has provided invaluable intellectual support and temperamental
resonance.
Dee Mortensen, Editorial Director at Indiana University Press, is a joy to
work with—perceptive, demanding, supportive, grounded, and funny, too—
nothing short of embodiment of the Platonic Form of Good Editor. For their ab-
solutely superb work, sincere thanks as well to Michelle Sybert, Project Manager/
Editor, and Candace McNulty, Copyeditor.
And, above all, my thinking is continually illuminated and enriched—and
reborn—by life with Jessica Wahman, to whom this book is dedicated.
* * *
Permission to publish revised and significantly expanded versions of my ear-
lier articles is greatly appreciated:
An earlier, much shorter version of part of chapter 1: “Philosophy, Literature,
and Dogma: Santayana and the View from Somewhere,” Overheard in Seville 31,
Fall 2013.
An earlier, much shorter version of chapter 2: “Only Going So Fast: Phi-
losophies as Fashions,” Journal of Speculative Philosophy 20, no. 2, 2006. Used by
permission of the Pennsylvania State University Press.
An earlier, slightly different version of part of chapter 4: “Pragmatism and
Convergence of Belief, Pluralism, and Betrayal,” Discipline Filosofische 19, no. 2,
2009.
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