Date of Award
5-2012
Thesis Date
5-2012
Degree Type
Honors Thesis-Unrestricted
Degree Name
B.A.
Department
Philosophy
Degree Program
Philosophy
Director
Clarence Mark Phillips
Abstract
The history of American philosophical thought is marked by a skepticism of epistemology and immutable truths, which is drawn under the term pragmatism. This skepticism is the genesis for the political and social attitudes that makes the United States exceptional. This thesis argues that this exceptionalism is important to the makeup of the American character and that it is being threatened by two front: ideologically driven politics, and the abuse of power by the majority. In the course of writing this essay I evaluated a large portion of the body of American philosophy as well as political and judicial writers in order to show that American exceptionalism is based upon a philosophical rejection of epistemology and immutable truth claims and that exceptionalism is integral to the progress of America as a nation.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
Recommended Citation
Wells, Philip L., "Pragmatism as American Exceptionalism" (2012). Senior Honors Theses. 23.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/honors_theses/23
Rights
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