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Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities

American Pragmatism

In professor Torjus Midtgarden, SVT has excellent competence on American Pragmatism and participate in several national and international networks in this field of study.

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Description

Midtgarden’s work focuses on American Pragmatism and its relevance for contemporary Social and Political Philosophy. He has studied how both Classical Pragmatism (John Dewey) and a variant of Neo-Pragmatism (Robert Brandom) develop perspectives from Hegel’s philosophy. He has further investigated ways in which Dewey’s pragmatism may contribute to discussions in present Critical Theory (Axel Honneth, James Bohman).

Currently he develops both an historical and a systematic approach to what Dewey in The Public and Its Problems (1927) saw as the problems of the public. Historically these problems are connected to the extensive social consequences of economic activities in the USA in the early 20th century, in particular in terms of child work, failing sickness insurance, old age pension, mothers’ pension, and failing minimum wage.

Of systematic interest are Dewey’s thoughts on the legitimate basis for regulation of economic activity, in particular his concern for the need to secure bio-physical, technological and cultural conditions for human development.

Publications

You can find an overview of Midtgarden's publications here.