The Battle of the Absolute: The Neglected Context of Living Pragmatism

Abstract

This paper provides basic insight into The Battle of the Absolute as the dispute between William James and Josiah Royce is called. This intellectual struggle in which Charles S. Peirce and John Dewey significantly interfered, is one of the important factors affecting the opinions of American pragmatists. The paper focuses on the period between years 1899 and 1902, when the Battle of the Absolute was the most escalated and philosophically fruitful. Presented conclusions are particularly relevant in the relation to the current renaissance of American pragmatists's conceptions in contemporary cognitive science or philosophy of science.