A new name for some old ways of thinking: pragmatism, radical empiricism, and epistemology in W.E.B. Du Bois's "Of the Sorrow Songs"
When William James published Pragmatism, he gave it a subtitle: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking. In this article, I argue that pragmatism is an epistemological method for articulating success in, and between, a plurality of practices, and that this articulation helped James develop radical...
| Published in: | International journal for philosophy of religion |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer Science + Business Media B. V
[2020]
|
| In: |
International journal for philosophy of religion
|
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
James, William 1842-1910, Pragmatism
/ Du Bois, William E. B. 1868-1963, The souls of black folk
/ Cognition theory
/ Pragmatism
/ Empirische Theorie
|
| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism KBQ North America |
| Further subjects: | B
American pragmatism
B philosophy of religion B Moderate fideism B Religious Experience B W.E.B. Du Bois B William James |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | When William James published Pragmatism, he gave it a subtitle: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking. In this article, I argue that pragmatism is an epistemological method for articulating success in, and between, a plurality of practices, and that this articulation helped James develop radical empiricism. I contend that this pluralistic philosophical methodology is evident in James's approach to philosophy of religion, and that this method is also exemplified in the work of one of James's most famous students, W.E.B. Du Bois, specifically in the closing chapter of The Souls of Black Folk, "Of the Sorrow Songs." I argue that "Sorrow Songs" can be read as an epistemological text, and that once one identifies the epistemic standards of pragmatism and radical empiricism in the text, it's possible to identify an implicit case for moderate fideism in "Sorrow Songs." I contend that this case illuminates the pluralistic philosophical methodology James worked throughout his career to develop, and that the James-Du Bois approach to philosophy may even help locate the epistemic value of other religious practices, beyond the singing of hymns, and identify terrain mainstream philosophy has long neglected. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1572-8684 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: International journal for philosophy of religion
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s11153-019-09717-y |