Phi105

How are pragmatism and analytic philosophy uniquely American movements?

Pragmatism and analytic philosophy is uniquely American movements because it was developed by three philosophers “C. S. Peirce (1839–1914)”, William James (1842–1910), and John Dewey (1859–1952) in 1870 that were either born in America or was a teacher in this country. Most of the credits for pragmatism were given to C.S. Peirce who “regarded pragmatism as a rule for determining the meaning of ideas: “In order to ascertain the meaning of an intellectual conception one should consider what practical consequences might conceivably result by necessity from the truth of that conception, and the sum of these consequences will constitute the entire meaning of the conception.” The method would show, among other things, according to Peirce, “that almost every proposition of ontological metaphysics is either meaningless . . . or else . . . absurd.” (Moore−Bruder, 2008). Although C.S. Peirce was given most of the credits for pragmatism, William James was the philosopher who pushed pragmatism further, while John Dewey described pragmatism as instruments.

What ideas make them different from the way Europeans of the same period were thinking?

The ideas which made pragmatism and analytic different from the way Europeans of the same period were thinking is; in America pragmatism and analytic philosophy are looked upon from a scientific approach in their arguments and analysis, while in the 19th and 20th century the European philosophers rejected the scientific views of pragmatism and analytic philosophy. In the European continent philosophers placed their theory of pragmatism and analytic philosophy on a person’s beliefs or their religious views.