Philosophy Americana : making philosophy at home in American culture / Douglas R. Anderson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Anderson, Douglas R.

Series:

American philosophy series 1073-2764 ; no. 18.

American philosophy series, 1073-2764 ; no. 18

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Philosophy, American--20th century.

Philosophy, American.

United States--Civilization--20th century.

United States.

Civilization.

Physical Description:

xi, 294 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Fordham University Press, 2006.

Summary:

In this engaging book, Douglas Anderson begins with the assumption that philosophy-the Greek love of wisdom-is alive and well in American culture. At the same time, professional philosophy remains relatively invisible.

Anderson traverses American life to find places in the wider culture where professional philosophy in the distinctively American tradition can strike up a conversation. How might American philosophers talk to us about our religious experience, or political engagement, or literature-or even popular music?

Anderson's second aim is to find places where philosophy happens in nonprofessional guises-cultural places such as country music, rock and roll, and Beat literature. He not only enlarges the tradition of American philosophers such as John Dewey and William James by examining lesser-known figures such as Henry Bugbee and Thomas Davidson, but finds the themes and ideas of American philosophy in some unexpected places, such as the music of Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette, and Bruce Springsteen and the writings of Jack Kerouac.

The idea of "philosophy Americana" trades on the emergent genre of "music Americana," rooted in traditional themes and styles yet engaging our present experiences. The music is "popular" but not thoroughly driven by economic considerations, and Anderson seeks out an analogous role for philosophical practice, where philosophy and popular culture are co-adventurers in the life of ideas. Philosophy Americana takes seriously Emerson's quest for the extraordinary in the ordinary and James's belief that popular philosophy can still be philosophy.

Contents:

Introduction: Inheritance, Teaching, and the Insane Angels of American Culture: Our Cultural Invisibility 1

1 Some Preliminary Remarks on the Origins of Pragmatism 19

2 Royce, Philosophy, and Wandering: A Job Description 33

3 Wilderness as Philosophical Home 50

4 Working Certainty and Deweyan Wisdom 65

5 Wildness as Political Act 85

6 "After All, He's Just a Man": The Wild Side of Life in Country Music 94

7 William James and the Wild Beasts of the Philosophical Desert 112

8 John Dewey's Sensible Mysticism 129

9 "Born to Run": Male Mysticism on the Road 142

10 Philosophy as Teaching: James's "Knight Errant," Thomas Davidson 155

11 Learning and Teaching: Gambling, Love, and Growth (with Michael Ventimiglia) 167

12 Emerson's Platonizing of American Thought 188

13 American Loss in Cavell's Emerson 206

14 Emerson and Kerouac: Grievous Angels of Hope and Loss 221

15 Pragmatic Intellectuals: Facing Loss in the Spirit of American Philosophy 234.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-288) and index.

ISBN:

082322550X

0823225518

OCLC:

63122859

Publisher Number:

9780823225514