Summary: | In his own day, at Harvard University at the turn of the 20th century, Josiah Royce was one of America's premier philosophical exports, and a prominent interpreter of European and Asian thought. After Royce's death, and after two world wars, the topics dear to him--loyalty, idealism, and systematic metaphysics--faded from mainstream philosophical discussion. Royce's vigorous but sympathetic critiques of pragmatism; his efforts to develop pragmatist-inspired tools of logic and linguistic analysis; his soaring explorations of such themes as loyalty, sorrow, and the modern significance of Christian faith; and his forays into what would later be recognized as "applied ethics" all came to be regarded as obsolete. Now, a hundred years after Royce's heyday, we witness an upwelling of articles, books, and conferences dedicated to exploring the meaning of his thought. The present volume is a collection of perspectives from contemporary philosophers engaged in exploring Royce's work with a fresh eye. An important reason for Royce's recent reemergence--his commitment to the potential of interdisciplinary work in academia--is visible in the broad disciplinary scope that this volume provides.
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