Abstract

Smith examines, in six chapters, the doctrines of Peirce, James, and Dewey as they relate to each of six general topics: basic conceptions of meaning, belief and action; basic conceptions of a theory of truth; the new conception of experience; inquiry, science, and control; metaphysics; and religion. The fourth chapter presents a minor exception, for the topic of "inquiry, science, and control" is discussed virtually exclusively in relation to Peirce and Dewey. Generally, the positions of the three pragmatists are examined separately in relation to various issues, but there are usually interesting and illuminating comparisons among them.