The word "pragmatism" is used everywhere today, from business to sports to politics. Although the
word hadn't yet entered everyday language when William James published Pragmatism in 1907, the philosopher believed
its doctrine had virtually become common sense in twentieth-century America. For James, pragmatism was a specific
philosophical alternative to essentialism and foundationalism and argued that ideas are meaningful only insofar
as they have practical consequences in concrete human experience; however today pragmatism has come to denote merely
a general willingness to compromise principles, even to the point of selfishness or irresponsibility. Written in
an engaging and accessible style, Pragmatism is a valuable corrective to modern uses of the word, since the voice
that speaks in its pages embodies precisely the opposite values from the pejorative senses the word has acquired.