Abstract
[Extract] If Shaw is right, then the idea that pragmatists are practical and reasonable
is as mistaken as it is common. On Shaw's account, pragmatists should be seen as movers and shakers-as those who refuse to adapt themselves to the world (isn't there too much of that?), but. seek instead to refashion the world to themselves. This refashioning is not "to himself" (themselves) in a selfish, narcissistic mode, bur in terms of making things "better"-where "better" ranges across practical as well as ideal personal, social, and political improvements. And insofar as a belief that things can be made better (meliorism) is an essential aspect of pragmatism, then perhaps, bucking a common perception, ic is better seen as utopian _albeit not revolutionary, rather than as "down
is as mistaken as it is common. On Shaw's account, pragmatists should be seen as movers and shakers-as those who refuse to adapt themselves to the world (isn't there too much of that?), but. seek instead to refashion the world to themselves. This refashioning is not "to himself" (themselves) in a selfish, narcissistic mode, bur in terms of making things "better"-where "better" ranges across practical as well as ideal personal, social, and political improvements. And insofar as a belief that things can be made better (meliorism) is an essential aspect of pragmatism, then perhaps, bucking a common perception, ic is better seen as utopian _albeit not revolutionary, rather than as "down
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Pragmatism Applied |
| Subtitle of host publication | William James and the Challenges of Contemporary Life |
| Editors | Clifford Stagoll, Michael Levine |
| Place of Publication | Albany |
| Publisher | State University of New York Press |
| Chapter | 5 |
| Pages | 101-122 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781438473383 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781438473376 |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 2019 |