Pragmatism is America's most distinctive philosophy. Generally it has been understood as a development of European
thought in response to the "American wilderness." A closer examination, however, reveals that the roots
and central commitments of pragmatism are indigenous to North America. Native Pragmatism recovers this history
and thus provides the means to re-conceive the scope and potential of American philosophy. Pragmatism has been
at best only partially understood by those who focus on its European antecedents. This book casts new light on
pragmatism's complex origins and demands a rethinking of African American and feminist thought in the context of
the American philosophical tradition. Scott L. Pratt demonstrates that pragmatism and its development involved
the work of many thinkers previously overlooked in the history of philosophy.