Search - The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America

This is an extraordinarily rich account of the development of pragmatism - the basis for modern liberalism. Menand deals with topics as diverse as The Civil War, The Pullman Strike, Thermodynamics, Law, Politics, and the outcome of an inheritance dispute, and ties them all together into a synthesis of the ideas that undergird the New Deal, the Great Society, and modern liberal thought.

This is not an argument for liberalism, rather it is an account of where it cam from. Don't expect one of those political tracts that fill up the bookshelves in Borders - "Dramatic Phrase: the danger to America from ______", etc. This is thorough, academic, intelligent work that is never glib, never trite, and always engaging.

As the cover promises “The Metaphysical Club” truly is the story of ideas in America. It follows the arc of four great thinkers – from William James to John Dewey. The reader not only participates in their developing schools of thought (i.e., James’ Pragmatism) but the political, historical, and cultural contexts that framed these ideas.

Personally, it was fascinating to watch the seeds of postmodernism begin to germinate in American thought – very much earlier than I had realized. It was also quite enlightening to watch how great philosophical foundations are so easily torn down and built up by men who almost unfailingly have a hubris and arrogance about their own framing of “truth”. Many of these great thinkers propagate their ideas with the same assurance as if they were astronomers discovering new galaxies with the Hubble telescope. My nagging sense was that their ideas seemed plucked from thin air. I came away from this book with the following caution about “Metaphysics” in general – Buyer Beware.

Lest those who identify themselves as more rationalist in their approach, this book also serves as a caution that the boundary between ‘physics’ and ‘metaphysics’ is not as clear as one might think and is influenced in surprising degrees by politics, culture, and sheer randomness.

For these and many other reasons, I found this book educational on so many layers. In particular, those who like history or philosophy will find this a fascinating read.

I read this wonderful book a few years ago and have recommended it to several high school history teacher friends. I count this as one of my favorite non-fiction reads of all time. The author traces the history of philosophical thinking from the sacred into the secular era. It takes a while to get into the rhythm of how the book is laid out and what the author is trying to say. It it well worth reading and gaining an understanding of how the transition to secular thinking propelled modern scientific development and discovery.

If you like philosophy, you will like this. Beautifully written.