Pragmatism Archives | National Humanities Center

Pragmatism

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Santayana, Pragmatism, and the Spiritual Life

By Henry S. Levinson (NHC Fellow, 1985–86) Henry Levinson offers a major reinterpretation of the Spanish-born American philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952), which highlights his relationship to the tradition of American pragmatism. He shows that Santayana's role in forming the pragmatist tradition was greater than has usually been recognized and that Santayana has much to offer … Continued

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The Poetics of Transition: Emerson, Pragmatism & American Literary Modernism

By Jonathan Levin (NHC Fellow, 1998–99) The Poetics of Transition examines the connection between American pragmatism and literary modernism by focusing on the concept of transition as a theme common to both movements. Jonathan Levin begins with the Emersonian notion that transition—the movement from one state or condition to another or, alternately, the figural enactment of … Continued