While Classical Pragmatism -- the American philosophy developed by John Dewey, Charles Peirce, and William James in the 19th century -- has a mixed reputation today, Kitcher admires the way its core ideas provide a way to prioritize avenues of inquiry. As he points out, both James and Dewey shared
a wish to eliminate insignificant questions from philosophy, and both harbored suspicion of timeless philosophical problems handed down generation after generation. Rather, they saw philosophy as inherently embedded in its time, grappling with pressing issues in religion, social life, art,
politics, and education. Kitcher has become increasingly moved by this reformist approach to philosophy, and the published essays included here, alongside a detailed introduction setting out Kitcher's views, provide motivation for his view of the reconstruction of philosophy. These essays try to
install the pragmatic spirit into contemporary philosophy, renewing James and Dewey for our own times.