What American Pragmatists Still Have to Teach Us: 5 Ideas for Now

This talk comes out of a long-term relationship I’ve had with American Pragmatism. It hasn’t been a straight line. I’ve read widely (one could argue haphazardly) across other traditions and thinkers. But I keep coming back to ideas illuminated by Peirce, James, Dewey, Rorty, and their philosophical kin. They’ve become a kind of intellectual home base for me. Even when I’m reading others, I start seeing pragmatist ideas (and solutions) underneath the surface, including questions about truth, doubt, experience, and how we live with uncertainty.

This session isn’t a technical analysis. It’s a contexual reflection on five big, underappreciated ideas from the pragmatist tradition that I believe are needed today. If you’re interested in thinking and talking about science, doubt, belief, pluralism, or selfhood in an open, informal setting, then this is the Meetup for you.

No background in philosophy or American Pragmatism is needed. Just bring some curiosity.

Hope to see you there,
Brent

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This talk is part of the 🧠 NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference 2025 (#NYCPPRC2025).
For full event details—including venue, schedule, and attendance info—visit:
👉 https://www.meetup.com/reading-philosophy/events/308631821/
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