Philosophy Americana Making Philosophy at Home in American Culture [Paperback]

In this engaging book, Douglas Anderson begins with the assumption that philosophythe Greek love of wisdomis alive and well in American culture. At the same time, professional philosophy remains relatively invisible.

Anderson traverses American life to find places in the wider culture where professional philosophy in the distinctively American tradition can strike up a conversation. How might American philosophers talk to us about our religious experience, or political engagement, or literatureor even, popular music?

Andersons second aim is to find places where philosophy happens in nonprofessional guisescultural places such as country music, rockn roll, and Beat literature. He not only enlarges the tradition of American philosophers such as John Dewey and William James by examining lesser-known figures such as Henry Bugbee and Thomas Davidson, but finds the theme and ideas of American philosophy in some unexpected places, such as the music of Hank Williams, Tammy Wynette, and Bruce Springsteen, and the writings
of Jack Kerouac.

The idea of philosophy Americana trades on the emergent genre of music Americana, rooted in traditional themes and styles yet engaging our present experiences. The music is popular but not thoroughly driven by economic considerations, and Anderson seeks out an analogous role for philosophical practice, where philosophy and popular culture are co-adventurers in the life of ideas. Philosophy Americana takes seriously Emersons quest for the extraordinary in the ordinary and Jamess belief that popular philosophy can still be philosophy.

. . . Aims to illuminate what is distinctive about American thought . . .This sprawling work devotes several chapters to American philosphers . . . [but] also devotes chapters to visionary environmentalist Henry Bugbee and to Thomas Davidson, the founder in 1899 of the Breadwinners' College. . . Recommended.Douglas R. Anderson is Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinoil.