Idealism, Pragmatism, and Feminism The Philosophy of Ella Lyman Cabot

by Kaag, John

• ISBN13: 9780739167809
• ISBN10: 0739167804
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-10-10
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

This book provides an account of the life and writings of Ella Lyman Cabot (1866-1934), a woman who received formal training, but not formal recognition, in the field of classical American philosophy. It highlights the themes of idealism, pragmatism and feminism as they emerged in the course of career as an educational reformer and ethicist that spanned nearly four decades. Cabot's writings, developed in graduate seminars at Harvard and Radcliffe at the turn of the century complement, and in many cases anticipate, the thinking of the "fathers" of the American philosophical cannon: Charles Sanders Peirce, Josiah Royce, William James, and John Dewey. Her formal philosophical writing focuses on the concepts of growth, creativity, the and moral imagination - a fact that is especially interesting given that these concepts are developed by a woman who faced serious obstacles in her personal and intellectual development. Indeed, these concepts are not merely philosophical ideals, but practical tools that Ella Lyman Cabot used to negotiate the gender roles and intellectual marginalization that she faces at the turn of the century. The discipline of philosophy was very slow to incorporate the insights of women into its self-definition. An analysis of the writings of Ella Lyman Cabot reveals this point, but also the pointed ways in which she sought to express her genuinely creative insights.

Author Biography

John J. Kaag is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
The Life of American Philosophy: The Education of Ella Lyman Cabot	p. 1
Women and Forgotten Movements in American Philosophy: Ella Lyman Cabot and Mary Parker Follett on Growth and Creativity	p. 33
Ella Lyman Cabot's Chance: The Nature of Contingency in the American Philosophical Tradition	p. 63
Everyday Ethics: Morality and the Imagination	p. 87
"How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?": Women in American Thought	p. 111
Cabot on Peace Education: Moral Psychology, Ethics, and International Affairs (1906-1930)	p. 137
"Thought Is Never at Rest": Ella Lyman Cabot and the Struggle of Idealism	p. 163
Appendix: Selected Writings of Ella Lyman Cabot	p. 177
Index	p. 219
About the Author	p. 223
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