In this critique of pragmatism and neopragmatism, an historian traces the attempts of thinkers from William James to Richard Rorty to find a response to the crisis of modernism. John Patrick Diggins analyzes the limitations of pragmatism from a historical perspective and asks whether America's one original contribution to the world of philosophy has actually fulfilled its promise.
John Patrick Diggins (1935-2009) was distinguished professor at the City University of New York and the author of many books, including Eugene O'Neill's America and The Promise of Pragmatism, both published by the University of Chicago Press.