The Drama of Possibility

More than any other current writer, John J. McDermott is widely recognized as the preeminent interpreter and the living bearer of the classical American philosophical tradition--Emerson, James, Royce, Dewey. Combining that tradition with Camusian existentialism, McDermott grabs us by the neck, drags us from the anemic abstractions of the academy, back to the muck of the everyday, and reminds us not only of philosophy's unfathomable power to shatter worlds and to shake us to the very core of our precarious existence, but also of how philosophy nourishes souls and communities. This is a ride, not for the faint of heart, on which McDermott has taken tens-of-thousands of students during his lengendary career and now, thanks to this collection of his most important pieces, masterfully selected and edited by Douglas Anderson, the ride is available to many more. Hop aboard. Your life, and your sense of what it means to philosophize as an American, will never be the same. -- -Ken Stikkers Southern Illinois University "John McDermott's essays help us understand the mind of America by laying bare its heart. In print and in the classroom, McDermott is a great teacher, a marveloulsy sensitive human being and an exemplary American. These essays, some of them legendary, revive and develop the grand achievements of Emerson and James." -- -John Lachs Vanderbilt University "Fresh and down-to-earth... Reflects a deep and attentive familiarity with the history of thought, as well as a sensitive and penetrating understanding of American history and culture." -- -Jacqueline Kegley California State University, Bakersfield "McDermott's personal style, beautifully seeded with anecdotes and his own experience, make this book as dramatic as the title." -- -Peter N. Carroll Stanford University " ... Not only provides an aperture in the philosophical dialogue with Foucault's thought, but it is first and foremost a seminal work in the field of philosophy and the humanities as a whole." -Foucault Studies "In the American tradition of Jonathan Edwards, Ralph Waldo Emerson and William James, John J. McDermott is both an original philosopher and a literary figure of distinction." -- -Peter H. Hare State University of New York "John J. McDermott's words, spoken or written, fall like torrents or hang like mist as he explores the themes of human experience. His ideas, tinctured with medieval philosophy and snips of baseball, drawing upon his familiarity with the artist's studio and the physician's office, help us to make the connections necessary to celebrate and criticize the diverse aspects of our common journey. Readers of this broad selection of McDermott's writings will recognize his sensitivity to experience and his power as a teacher." -- -James Campbell University of Toledo