Hegel and the classical pragmatists

prolegomenon to a future discussion

Michael Baur

pp. 39-54

in: Judith M. Green (ed), Richard J. Bernstein and the pragmatist turn in contemporary philosophy, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014

Abstract

As Richard Bernstein has suggested, there is a very rich and interesting story to be told about how the classical pragmatists (Dewey, Peirce, and ames) understood G. W. R Hegel, made use of Hegel, and ultimately distanced themselves from Hegel. That story cannot be told here. Indeed, the story is so rich and complicated that even its beginnings cannot be told here. But what can be provided, perhaps, is a limited, though hope- fully illuminating, perspective on a few salient aspects of the relationship between the classical pragmatists and Hegel. While the following reflec- tions offer no definitive answers about this relationship, they might at least suggest some fruitful lines of enquiry for future discussion.

Cited authors

Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich

Dewey John

Peirce Charles Sanders

Bernstein Richard