The Gray Area with Sean Illing
Society & Culture:Philosophy
Sean Illing talks with Cornel West about the American philosophical tradition known as pragmatism. They talk about what makes pragmatism so distinctly American, how pragmatists understand the connection between knowledge and action, and how the pragmatist mindset can invigorate our understanding of democratic life and communal action today. Cornel West also talks about the ways in which pragmatism has influenced his work and life, alongside the blues, Chekhov, and his Christian faith.
This was an episode of The Philosophers, a series from Vox Conversations, originally released in May.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews writer, Vox
Guest: Cornel West (@CornelWest), author; Dietrich Bonhoeffer professor of philosophy & Christian practice, Union Theological Seminary
References to works by American pragmatists:
Other references:
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
This episode was made by:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The stories soul food tells
The paradox of American freedom
Nonbinary parenthood
John McWhorter, the anti-antiracist
The overwhelming, invisible work of elder care
How Big Tech benefits from the disinformation panic
Fannie Lou Hamer and the meaning of freedom
What the internet took from us
Trapped inside with Susanna Clarke's Piranesi
Bryan Stevenson on the legacy of enslavement
What's your status?
Is there a hack for enlightenment?
Fighting a world on fire with fire
Revolutionary Love
How to make meaning out of suffering
Ken Burns's latest on The Greatest
The road from 9/11 to Donald Trump
Rep. Pramila Jayapal on immigrants and America after 9/11
Why America's obsession with rights is wrong
The news is by — and for — rich, white liberals
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Today, Explained
Re/Code Decode
The Vergecast
Shutdown Fullcast
The Impact