Philosophical Practice (Philosophy and Religion Series, Unnamed Translation Library)

Author: Richard Shusterman
Translator: Peng Feng (United States/USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-18
Features: Many years ago, William James and John Dewey warned us of the dangers of the specialization and narrowness of the discipline of philosophy. Richard Shusterman has admirably joined the tradition of pragmatism, keeping this warning in mind, and he strongly advocates for the need to practice one's philosophy, to revitalize a nearly forgotten tradition of philosophical life—one traceable back to Socrates. In a rich and insightful style, he discusses issues such as aesthetics, liberalism, democracy, bodily experience, rap music, and Jewish identity. The common theme of these diverse inquiries is a passionate concern for living a sincere philosophical life in today's complex and fragmented world. How should philosophical practice engage with one's life plan? To answer this question, the book examines the general outline of the philosophy of life as it has manifested in the 20th century, analyzes its fundamental dimensions, and explores the crucial philosophical issues it raises, ranging from epistemology, ethics, and political theory to aesthetics, corporeal studies, and racial theory. In articulating his own concept of the philosophy of life, he critically absorbs the views of Dewey, thereby providing, in addition to elucidating the philosophy of life, a very useful comprehensive overview of various types of contemporary pragmatism.