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Eugenics and Pragmatism : F.C.S. Schiller's Philosophical Politics

Skodo, Admir LU (2015) In Modern Intellectual History 14(3). p.661-687
Abstract
The British philosopher F. C. S. Schiller (1864–1937) was a leading pragmatist in the early twentieth century. His critiques of formal logic and his attempts to construct a humanist logic, derived from an anti-foundationalist humanism, are recognized as lasting philosophical achievements. But scholars have failed to consider that Schiller was passionately committed to the British eugenics movement. This essay explores the relationship between Schiller's pragmatism and his eugenicism. It argues that Schiller represents the broad scope of pragmatism in the early twentieth century through his involvements not only with eugenics, but also with psychical research as well. Underneath Schiller's various undertakings lies a common theme: the self,... (More)
The British philosopher F. C. S. Schiller (1864–1937) was a leading pragmatist in the early twentieth century. His critiques of formal logic and his attempts to construct a humanist logic, derived from an anti-foundationalist humanism, are recognized as lasting philosophical achievements. But scholars have failed to consider that Schiller was passionately committed to the British eugenics movement. This essay explores the relationship between Schiller's pragmatism and his eugenicism. It argues that Schiller represents the broad scope of pragmatism in the early twentieth century through his involvements not only with eugenics, but also with psychical research as well. Underneath Schiller's various undertakings lies a common theme: the self, conceived in voluntaristic, historicist, and concrete terms. By tracing the trajectory of this theme in Schiller's thought, this essay demonstrates that Schiller's eugenicism was confined to the presuppositions of his pragmatist logic, which steered Schiller's eugenicism toward a distinctively nondeterministic and non-social-Darwinist kind. (Less)
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author
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Modern Intellectual History
volume
14
issue
3
pages
661 - 687
publisher
Cambridge University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:84930168905
ISSN
1479-2443
DOI
10.1017/S1479244315000177
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
349636be-8a6f-4848-b35c-93c24038ec2c
date added to LUP
2017-05-31 19:01:57
date last changed
2022-02-14 19:46:20
@article{349636be-8a6f-4848-b35c-93c24038ec2c,
  abstract     = {{The British philosopher F. C. S. Schiller (1864–1937) was a leading pragmatist in the early twentieth century. His critiques of formal logic and his attempts to construct a humanist logic, derived from an anti-foundationalist humanism, are recognized as lasting philosophical achievements. But scholars have failed to consider that Schiller was passionately committed to the British eugenics movement. This essay explores the relationship between Schiller's pragmatism and his eugenicism. It argues that Schiller represents the broad scope of pragmatism in the early twentieth century through his involvements not only with eugenics, but also with psychical research as well. Underneath Schiller's various undertakings lies a common theme: the self, conceived in voluntaristic, historicist, and concrete terms. By tracing the trajectory of this theme in Schiller's thought, this essay demonstrates that Schiller's eugenicism was confined to the presuppositions of his pragmatist logic, which steered Schiller's eugenicism toward a distinctively nondeterministic and non-social-Darwinist kind.}},
  author       = {{Skodo, Admir}},
  issn         = {{1479-2443}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{661--687}},
  publisher    = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  series       = {{Modern Intellectual History}},
  title        = {{Eugenics and Pragmatism : F.C.S. Schiller's Philosophical Politics}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1479244315000177}},
  doi          = {{10.1017/S1479244315000177}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}