A History of Philosophy in America by Bruce Kuklick

A History of Philosophy in America by Bruce Kuklick

Here at last is an American counterpart to Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy. The eminent historian Bruce Kuklick tells the fascinating story of the growth of philosophical thinking in the USA, in the context of the intellectual and social changes of the times. Kuklick sketches the genesis of these intellectual practices in New England Calvinism and the writing of Jonathan Edwards. He discusses theology in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the origins of collegiate philosophy in the early part of the nineteenth century. We see the development of secular preconceptions and the emergence, after Darwin's writings of the mid-late nineteenth century, of forms of thought hostile to religion. Philosophy is situated in a variety of cultural contexts - the ministry, the growing system of higher learning, the conflict between philosophers and theologians and between amateur and professional thinkers, the suspicion of European ideas, and worries about the relevance of philosophy to public and political life. Kuklick's narrative portrays such great thinkers as Charles Peirce, William James, John Dewey, C. I. Lewis, Wilfrid Sellars, W. V. Quine, and Richard Rorty, and assesses their contributions to philosophy. He brings us right up to date with the first historical treatment of the period after pragmatism, and the fragmentation of philosophy in the second half of the twentieth century. Kuklick steers a controversial course between the divergent views that historians and philosophers take of the significance of philosophy in recent years. Anyone interested in American intellectual history, or in how philosophy got where it is today, will enjoy this book.

Kuklick's book provides an excellent short introduction to philosophical thinking in AmericaAlthough focused on serious critical analysis of representative thinkers, the book also places philosophers and philsophy in a continually changing American society. The careful reader will come away with a much better sense of why philosophical thinking has been important and why it is so marginalized at the start of the twenty-first century. * The Journal of American History *
This history of American philosophy from 1720 through 2000 displays the erudition, philosophical sensitivity, and boldness that we have come to associate with the work of Bruce Kuklick, the premier historian of American philosophy ... an invaluable reference source. * Richard M. Gale, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
A History of Philosophy in America is a sustained work of synthesis and primary scholarship ... an exemplary encounter between intellectual history and philosophical thought, and a salutary reminder that our self-styled materialists may really be idealists underneath the skin. * Jonathan Rée, Times Literary Supplement *
Kuklick's tracing of the development of philosophy and its changing role in American society is especially interesting ... an excellent work that would be a welcome addition to the library of any philosopher and anyone with more than a passing interest in philosophy. * The Philosophers' Magazine *
The thinkers Kuklick elects to focus on do represent the others of their ilk quite adequately ... Kuklick provides the reader with an excellent perspective on the various thinkers within a clear social context. * The Philosophers' Magazine *

Bruce Kuklick is Nichols Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also edited American Quarterly and held appointments in the departments of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780198250319
ISBN 10	0198250312
Title	A History of Philosophy in America
Author	Bruce Kuklick
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Year published	2002-01-10
Number of pages	340
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.