Conclusion

Abstract

Abstract The conclusion recaps the book’s main line of argument. Moral fundamentalist habits, and the reductive monistic philosophical assumption that mostly unintentionally reinforces them, are obstacles to cultivating virtues of inquiry that are suited to dealing with the predicaments that are rapidly transforming our planet. If philosophers and other public intellectuals are to speak more effectively to complex problems in a way that aids public deliberation and social learning, a critical focus on Dewey’s pragmatic pluralism would be salutary. Dewey did not explicitly spell out implications of his approach to ethics and politics for redirecting future theorizing, so the chapter closes with recommendations extrapolated by marrying his writings with a sampling of contemporary pragmatic pluralists who are steeped in his general outlook.