Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Native Pragmatism: Rethinking the Roots of American Philosophy by Scott L. Pratt ISBN: 0-253-21519-6 Publisher: Indiana University Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (4 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Welcoming the Cannibals: Philosophy at the Borderland
Comment: As with hardened stereotypes, prejudices and daily routines, the larger structures of thought - indeed, entire philosophical systems - have a way hardening into caked, inflexible habits, resistant to change. Here in Native Pragmatism, professor Scott Pratt argues that pragmatism, that unique philosophical tradition which grew up in America, is no exception. In the introduction, he describes his project as follows: "I wish to present a different history of pragmatism that traces its origins along the border between Native and European America in a context significantly conditioned by Native American thought." The result is a work that both enlarges and reconstructs the entire American philosophical tradition.
The word pragmatism usually evokes the names of three white men of European descent - specifically, Peirce, James and Dewey, the three classic pragmatists. Whereas past historians of philosophy have tended to over emphasize the white, European influences of these thinkers (which Pratt does not dispute), this book attempts to counter-balance the story with new, alternative, particularly female and non-European influences that arose from the borderland of Native and European cultures. Along with the traditional pragmatists, Pratt has widened the cast to include such figures as Lydia Maria Child, Colden Cadwallader, Alice Chipman (John's first wife), Roger Williams, Metacom, Miantonomi, Neolin, Sagoyewatha, and Teedyuscung among others. Weaving in and out of their stories, Pratt unearths a wealth of interactions and connections that have hitherto been overlooked. In effect, he takes us deeper into the lived experience that served to inspire and instruct American philosophy.
Whereas some reviewers have branded Pratt a revisionist and neo-colonialist, bent on offering a politically correct version of pragmatism, I see something entirely different. His story is inclusive, not exclusive, and the people he unearths in his study were in fact talking, thinking and engaging the world in a very philosophical - if not pragmatic - way; and the subtle influences of their thought, like ripples echoing out across the surface of a pond, affected the entire cultural fabric. The extent of this influence may never fully be understood, but by tracing these philosophical ripples, Pratt has widened and deepened the history of pragmatism enough to make any single origin claim ridiculous. Clearly, the roots of American philosophy are rich, varied, and not strictly male or European - as was hitherto believed.
Although it is impossible to lump Native Americans or Euroamericans into one rigid category that defies exception, Pratt deftly sketches the similarities and differences between these two groups. On one side, we find a male-dominated "colonial attitude," which orders events a hierarchically unified, linear timeline, giving preference to those things that are closer to the present. This colonial attitude is also resolutely opposed to cultural and religious difference. In effect, it offers outsiders two choices: assimilation or death. On the other side is the "indigenous attitude," an attitude at once intimately connected with the land and open to cultural and religious differences. Indeed, as Pratt shows in his discussion of native cannibal stories and 'wunnigen' (or welcome), the leading indigenous strategies for dealing with difference were open-armed hospitality and generous welcome (even when that difference is withered cannibal approaching your village). It was only after these traditionally diplomatic strategies failed that Native Americans took up arms against invading colonialists as a last resort - in marked contrast to the historically violent tendencies of Euroamerican colonialists. Moreover, to confound and defy the very categories he employs, Pratt offers examples of when these two worldviews bled together and transformed each other through cross-cultural interaction. In other words, this is not a simple study, which lumps white people into one group and native people into other. Rather, Pratt sets out specifically to reveal the deeper complexities implicit in cross-culture interaction.
Native Pragmatism is filled with detail and interpretation of the philosophical responses that sprung up at the border between two worlds - the white, colonial world and the red, indigenous world. It is a philosophy shaped by the frontier, wrought in the crucible of cultural difference, shot-through with conflicts, concords, resolutions, treaties, misunderstandings, deceptions, deceits, intrigues and oppositions. Without downplaying the role of genocide and forced cultural assimilation (which continues to this day), Pratt provides a story that forces us to reconsider the simple dualism of good versus bad and black versus white - since there are cases of whites acting distinctively native, just as their cases of natives acting distinctly white. In effect, Native Pragmatism can be of service to both groups in their ongoing attempts to understand themselves, each other, the historical interactions and circumstances that created the present situation, and strategies that have been adopted in the past.
Regardless of whether the terms pragmatism and Native American thought adhere in future scholarship, Native Pragmatism will certainly not be the last Native American Philosophy book. The white, Euroamerican, male-dominated world is just beginning to wake up to the fact that indigenous peoples are culturally rich and philosophically adept; and here Pratt takes this philosophy and its historical influence seriously. My only hope is that, with his next book, Pratt will explore the ecological and environmental implications of the colonial attitude, and delve deeper into the rich relationship between Native Americans and the land. Clearly, there is also an eco-philosophical difference that runs between the indigenous attitude and the colonial attitude - a difference that would fit nicely in his discussion of the 'logic of place.' One can only hope that Native Ecology and Pragmatism looms on the horizon. All in all, Pratt has written a fine book that demands gross reconsideration of American Philosophy and the influence of Native thought.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Pluralism of Pragmatism
Comment: Native Pragmatism is a great book. Pratt provides one of the MOST articulate and useful summaries of the tradition of American Pragmatism. He also provides a fair as well as critical look at the literature that has been written about Pragmatism. He does not disagree with histories that trace the roots of American Pragmatism back to Europe, but he does ask the reader to consider some additional influences. Pratt's account of possible Native American influences on a range of American thinkers is quite thought provoking, as is his inclusion of several key women thinkers. His account provides some explanation for how the central thinkers of this tradition were able to so radically transform their understanding of philosophy, of the individual, of knowledge, of life. American Pragmatism still represents a challenge to learn "the lessons of a way of thinking that is committed to the importance of interaction and pluralism, the necessity of community, and the value of growth, that is, by recovering the ways of understanding and acting indigenous to American, we also gain the possibility of a flourishing pluralist society" (289). Erin McKenna, Pacific Lutheran University
Rating: 5
Summary: A Much Needed Perspective!
Comment: It is all too common to treat the philosophical perspective known as American Pragmatism as if the field begins and ends with the works of Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey. Native Pragmatism by Scott L. Pratt is part of a growing body of work that recognizes the ongoing contribution of women, indigenous people, and people of color to American Philosophy. The book is a tightly woven argument that begins with an exploration of the origins of American philosophy, including an important discussion of what constitutes philosophy. From there, the book logically progresses through key moments and movements in North American history, primarily focusing on the influence of Native American thought on pragmatic theory. Pratt's notion of "colonial attitude" versus "indigenous attitude" act as useful organizing principals and his discussion of the "logic of place" and the "logic of home" are both carefully worked out and help explain many of the conflicts in the history of colonial and indigenous peoples. Ultimately, the reader is left with a new perspective on American history as well as better understanding of the many, and continually evolving, influences on American philosophy
What makes this an intriguing read is how Pratt integrates fascinating, and often little-known, historical anecdotes. When I picked up this book, I expected to have a compelling argument regarding the recovery of over-looked traditions, what I found surprising was the thorough overview of the European antecedents of American Pragmatism as well as an excellent review of the basic tenets of this philosophical tradition. As I finished the book, I realized that I was holding a fine introduction to American Philosophy and perhaps the most inclusive and comprehensive introduction on the market. I plan to use this book the next time I teach an introductory course in American Philosophy but it also has applications for ethnic studies, women's studies, and American history. It is written in a style that is accessible and interesting to the non-specialist. I think Native Pragmatism is bound to make a significant contribution to expanding our concept of American Philosophy and we may look back on this book in decades to come as a pioneering work in the field.
 |
Title: The Primal Roots of American Philosophy: Pragmatism, Phenomenology, and Native American Thought by Bruce W. Wilshire ISBN: 0271020261 Publisher: Pennsylvania State Univ Pr (Txt) Pub. Date: September, 2000 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
