The Pragmatic Century

Description

The Pragmatic Century critically assesses the significance of American philosopher Richard J. Bernstein's intellectual contributions. Written by scholars who share with Bernstein a combined interest in the American pragmatic tradition and contemporary religious thought, the essays explore such diverse topics as Bernstein's place as an interpreter of both American and continental thought, the possibility of system building and analysis in an antimetaphysical age, the potential for theological and ethical reinterpretation in contemporary society, and much more. Included are not only responses by Bernstein to each essay, but also two new essays by Bernstein himself that orient readers to the central role pragmatism has played throughout the last century and also provide an encomium to the continuing value of democratic ideals at a time when those ideals are threatened on many different fronts.

Preface
Acknowledgments

The Pragmatic Century
Richard J. Bernstein

Theses on Bernstein
William D. Hart
Response by Richard Bernstein

Engaged Pluralism: Between Alterity and Sociality
Vincent Colapietro
Response by Richard Bernstein

Bernstein and Rorty on Justification by Faith Alone
Nancy K. Frankenberry
Response by Richard Bernstein

Being Philosophical and Having a Philosophy: Reflections to Honor Richard Bernstein
Robert C. Neville
Response by Richard Bernstein

Festive Jewish Naturalism and Richard Bernstein’s Work on Freud and Arendt
Henry S. Levinson
Response by Richard Bernstein

Richard Bernstein on the Jewish Question
Gilya G. Schmidt
Response by Richard Bernstein

Bernstein among the Prophets? Justice, Public Life, and Fallibilistic Pluralism
Mary Doak
Response by Richard Bernstein

Richard Bernstein on Democracy
Rebecca S. Chopp
Response by Richard Bernstein

Creative Democracy—The Task Still Before Us
Richard J. Bernstein

Bernstein Bibliography
About the Contributors
Index

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Épistémologie
• Philosophie de la religion
• Pragmatism
• Philosophy of religion
• Epistémologie
• Epistémologie
• Epistémologie

Informations

• Publié par: State University of New York Press
• Date de parution: 01 février 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780791481578
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Pragmatic The Century  Conversations with BernsteinRichard J.

Sheila Greeve Davaney Warren G. Frisina editors

The Pragmatic Century

This page intentionally left blank.

The Pragmatic Century

Conversations with Richard J. Bernstein

Edited by Sheila Greeve Davaney and Warren G. Frisina

State University of New York Press

Published by State University of New York Press, Albany

© 2006 State University of New York

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.

For information, address State University of New York Press, 194 Washington Avenue, Suite 305, Albany, NY 12210-2384

Production by Michael Haggett Marketing by Anne M. Valentine

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The pragmatic century : conversations with Richard J. Bernstein / edited by Sheila Greeve Davaney and Warren G. Frisina. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-6793-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-6794-5 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Bernstein, Richard J. 2. Pragmatism—History—20th century. I. Davaney, Sheila Greeve. II. Frisina, Warren G., 1954–

B945.B4764P73 2006 191—dc22

ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6793-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-6794-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2005024125

Contents

Preface Sheila Greeve Davaney and Warren G. Frisina

Acknowledgments

The Pragmatic Century Richard J. Bernstein

Theses on Bernstein William D. Hart

Response by Richard Bernstein

Engaged Pluralism: Between Alterity and Sociality Vincent Colapietro

Response by Richard Bernstein

Bernstein and Rorty on Justification by Faith Alone Nancy K. Frankenberry

Response by Richard Bernstein

Being Philosophic and Having a Philosophy: Reflections to Honor Richard Bernstein Robert C. Neville

Response by Richard Bernstein

v

vii

xi

1

15

35

39

69

73

99

103

111

vi

Contents

Festive Jewish Naturalism and Richard Bernstein’s Work on Freud and Arendt Henry S. Levinson

Response by Richard Bernstein

Richard Bernstein on the Jewish Question Gilya G. Schmidt Response by Richard Bernstein

Bernstein among the Prophets? Justice, Public Life, and Fallibilistic Pluralism Mary Doak Response by Richard Bernstein

Richard Bernstein on Democracy Rebecca S. Chopp Response by Richard Bernstein

Creative Democracy—The Task Still Before Us Richard J. Bernstein

Bernstein Bibliography

About the Contributors

Index

115

131

135

153

155

171

173

187

191

205

217

219

Preface

Few contemporary philosophers are as influential in so many different intellectual disciplines and discussions as Richard J. Bernstein. He is at home not only among American pragmatic philosophers with whom he is so closely identified but equally with Continental thinkers. Moreover, he has engaged a wide range of perspectives in other disciplines, includ- ing the work of social theorists, cognitive psychologists, and psychoana- lysts. Bernstein is perhaps the premier thinker on the contemporary scene who has simultaneously been able to maintain disciplinary integrity while participating in and encouraging cross-disciplinary conversation and a more encompassing critical dialogue. Thus, in an age of extreme special- ization, Bernstein’s influence has far extended beyond the boundaries of philosophy. Bernstein is able to engage so many different thinkers for several rea- sons. First, without ever losing his critical edge, he nonetheless assumes that different perspectives and various disciplines have something to offer each other. While unafraid to participate in rigorous debate, he has embodied a model of philosophy as dialogue, mutual conversation, and openness to multiple points of view. Precisely as a representative of prag- matism, Bernstein has argued for the importance of building visions of reality from the variety of disparate resources available to us at any given time. Where other contemporary thinkers have turned inward to more narrow conversations, Bernstein has been a leading exponent of more broad-based discussions in which mutual enhancement, not destruction, is the goal.

vii

viii

Preface

Second, Bernstein has played such a wide-ranging role in contempo- rary intellectual life because he has that rare capacity to weave a coherent vision out of the disparate strands of seemingly conflicting intellectual traditions. Bernstein has regularly showed us how to see past surface con- tradictions to the underlying problems we share and to the sometimes- common assumptions that animate contemporary sensibilities. With a unique genius, Bernstein has been able to balance the recognition of real differences while also acknowledging places of agreement or a shared problematic. The result has been that Bernstein has led his fellow intel- lectual explorers to whole new ways of viewing what seemed like intractable problems or mutually exclusive perspectives. In books such as Praxis and Action, The Restructuring of Social and Political Theory, Beyond Objectivism and Relativism, The New Constellation: The Ethical-Political Horizons of Modernity/Postmodernity, Hannah Arendt and the Jewish Ques- tion,andFreud and the Vexed Legacy of Moses, Bernstein has built intellec- tual bridges that link hermeneutics, pragmatism, critical theory, and psy- chotherapy into a powerful new vision. Both Bernstein’s open and dialogical approach to multiple perspec- tives and his own constructive positions have encouraged his inclusion in a wide range of debates and conversations. Significantly, in an age when religion is viewed as problematic by many philosophers or somewhat naively reappropriated by others, Bernstein has been a leading interlocu- tor with scholars of religion on the contemporary scene, especially those who share an interest in the pragmatic lineage of American thought. In these exchanges, Bernstein has thoroughly explored the ramifications of a historicized and fallibilistic interpretation of philosophical and religious efforts to come to terms with human existence while steadfastly affirming the possibility for a progressive democratic and pluralistic society to which philosophy and religious reflection might centrally contribute. The chapters in this volume represent a collective attempt to develop a critical assessment of the significance of Richard J. Bernstein’s intellectual contributions. Written by scholars who share a combined interest in both the American pragmatic tradition and contemporary reflection about religion, these chapters explore central themes in Bern- stein’s work. Embodying the dialogical commitments so evident theoret- ically in Bernstein’s philosophy, the volume includes responses from Bern- stein to each chapter, thus enhancing the level of critical engagement in a manner not typical of these collections. Moreover, Bernstein himself has included two new essays to begin and conclude the volume. The first,

Preface

ix

“The Pragmatic Century,” orients readers to Bernstein’s understanding of the historical role pragmatism plays in contemporary intellectual life. Importantly, Bernstein argues for a shift in the assumed history of Amer- ican pragmatism. Often that history has interpreted pragmatism as a sin- gular American movement that enjoyed its ascendancy in the early part of the twentieth century, only to be eclipsed and marginalized by the rise of analytic philosophy. Over against this version of pragmatism’s history, Bernstein offers an account in which pragmatic themes continued to ani- mate the most exciting elements in twentieth-century intellectual life, including non-American developments. Hence, for him, the current resurgence of pragmatism is not the recovery of an abandoned form of American thought but the continuation of deeply ingrained concerns both in American and Continental intellectual development. Bernstein’s chapter “Democracy” concludes this volume. In it he offers an encomium to the continuing values of democratic ideals. In a contemporary world in which intellectuals, including Bernstein, are acutely aware of the complex relations of power, politics, and public life, Bernstein still maintains the possibility and importance of democratic participation in the public realm. He argues for a Deweyean renewal of commitment to enhancing and enlarging the democratic potential of our society. It is to such creative and critical public engagement that Bern- stein’s life and work have been dedicated. The chapters in this volume are responses to these lifelong intellectual, political, and moral efforts of Richard J. Bernstein. They take seriously his import for the twentieth century and for the new century that now unfolds. They cover a variety of topics, from Bernstein’s place as an inter- preter of both American and Continental thought (Frankenberry and Colapietro), to the possibility of system building and analysis in an anti- metaphysical age (Neville), to the potential for theological and ethical rein- terpretation in contemporary society (Doak and Chopp). Bernstein’s work on Jewish thinkers such as Freud and Arendt becomes the occasion to reflect on their importance both within Jewish thought and more broadly in the modern world (Schmidt). Importantly, Bernstein’s pragmatism inspires not only reflection on the implications of pragmatism for our gen- eral historical moment but also encourages constructive exploration of what pragmatism, historicism, and naturalism suggest for contemporary Jewish self-understanding (Levinson). Hence, the chapters reflect both the broad reach of Bernstein’s insights and their relevance for particular his- torical communities. In all of these writings, there is evidenced a profound