Above the autonomy of the world of thought and of culture, a link may be established allowing the articulation of the complex American world in a cultural continuum with some meaning. The picture of American culture that is intended to be deployed in this project revolves around three fundamental principles: The legacy of transcendentalism that can be exemplified in Emerson, the position established from pragmatism to the issues of truth, of scientific research and the involvement of thought in daily activities; and the conception of the political community formed equally by classical liberal autonomy and political communalism that we could qualify as Republican and which is the basis of American constitutionalism.
Main Researchers (MR): Julio Seoane Pinilla and Serafín Vegas González
Juan Carlos Lago Bornstein
Germán Cano Cuenca
Stella Villarmea
Collaborating researchers:
- Ángel Faerna (Univ. Castilla-La Mancha)
- Ángel Rivero (Univ. Autónoma de Madrid)
- Antonio Lastra (Univ. Valencia)
- Ignacio Redondo (Univ. Internacional de La Rioja)
- Jaime Nubiola (Univ. de Navarra)
- Javier Gil (Univ. de Oviedo)
- Joan Lara i Amat (Univ. Barcelona)
- Juan Carlos Mougán (Univ. de Cádiz)
- Marta Palacio Avendaño (Univ. de Barcelona)
- Ramón del Castillo (UNED)
S. Vegas y J. Seoane (eds), Al hilo del Pragmatismo, Madrid, Biblioteca Nueva, 2014. Print.
Seoane, J., J.C. Mougán, J.C. Lago. La democracia como un estilo de vida. Madrid: Siglo XXI, 2009. Print.
First International Symposium: Rethinking Democracy
Instituto Franklin-UAH, October 18-20, 2012
The purpose of the symposium was the inauguration of the Dewey Center at the Universidad de Alcalá, discussing present-day topics and the meaning of reading the works of J. Dewey today, and doing the same with the latest proposals of Pragmatism, especially those of R. Rorty, which are perhaps keeping far behind as they are closely linked to thoughts of the late twentieth century.
Seminar on “The meaning of humanity in “Walden””
Universidad de Murcia, February 15, 2012. Taught by Antonio Lastra.
Seminar on “Philosophy in America”
Universidad de Valencia, 14, 21 and 28 of November, 2011. Taught by Antonio Lastra.
Round Table “Cultural Studies: A presentation (What are they? What do they offer? Why?)”
Universidad de Alcalá, Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Participants: Speakers: Julio Seoane, Inmaculada Álvarez, Susan Campos.
Activity included in the Science Week 2011
Sessions on “In line with the Pragmatism”
Universidad de Alcalá, October 1-2, 2010
www.alhilodelpragmatismo.wordpress.com
Sessions on “Democracy, civic virtues and citizenship education”
Madrid, December 11, 12 and 13, 2009
Fundación José Ortega y Gasset
Speaking of civic virtues today seems to be commonplace in ethical-political thought, as is recognizing that there shall be no democracy if we do not educate to live in it. In these Study Sessions, we wanted to reflect on the fact that suggesting that a democracy requires virtues to sustain itself is not as simple as saying that we need education for citizens. This being necessary, it means that we need to rethink at least what kind of education we can handle, what it means that democracy is composed around shared virtues among citizens and, finally, to realize the limits of State action in this entire process.
Sessions on “Pragmatism today”
Philosophy Institute (CSIC) 27, 28 and 29 March 2007
“Here” underlines our conviction to collect pragmatism as a thought that may be our own (and not as a typically American way of reflection); “today” is intended to emphasize that our interest in pragmatism goes to collect tools that allow us to explain our contemporary world.