For Love of the Game: Pragmatism and the Right to Play with Heterodoxy

Abstract

in peirce and religion: Knowledge, Transformation, and the Reality of God, Roger Ward argues that the founder of American pragmatism was a rather traditional Trinitarian Christian throughout his entire life. Such an argument is notable because scholarship on Peirce often underplays the philosopher’s comments about religion while emphasizing his work on logic, mathematics, and other non-religious philosophical topics. Those who take his views on religion seriously tend to interpret Peirce more radically than Ward, placing Peirce’s philosophy of religion and personal theological beliefs in line with modern trends that are critical of traditional forms of Christianity. The argument in Ward’s book stands out against both trends, but in doing so it also reveals a lack of pragmatic commitment. Convictions about traditional Christian beliefs drive the argument, not open pragmatic inquiry.