An impressive coverage of philosophical issues relevant to almost anyone. Using insights from classical pragmatists, such as William James, and also from contemporary pragmatists, especially Richard Rorty, this text is an accessible entryway to some perennial philosophical questions and answers. Students or academics wondering how pragmatism is practical must read this lively and provocative book. General readers will also profit from its wisdom. Perhaps its greatest usefulness will be in the classroom, where its unimposing size, clear writing, and good bibliographies will serve introductory courses at universities or community colleges. Highly recommended.

Choice Reviews

Martin Benjamin's Philosophy & this Actual World is a brilliant book and a joy to read. Benjamin has surpassed all of those who have attempted to reconcile the 19th century American philosophical tradition with contemporary analytic philosophy. Benjamin's book can sit alongside Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics on the shelf of books that makes a stunning advance in reconciling the philosophical, the social, the biological and the political....

Glenn McGee, University of Pennsylvania

This book is an easy read, not because it is entertaining in a simplistic way, but because it is intellectually engaging on a level that most readers, regardless of the level of their philosophical sophistication, can grasp. The prose is clear and not cluttered with footnotes and attempts to prove its academic merit.

Metapsychology Online

Relying on William James and Ludwig Wittgenstein, Benjamin attempts to bring academic philosophy close to the concerns of 'the seriously inquiring amateur.' The result is a thoughtful, readable, interesting book that shows the general reader that what contemporary philosophers do truly matters.

John Lachs, Vanderbilt University

Like the work of some other philosophers who have appreciated the relevance of pragmatism's insights to 'practical philosophy' (Glenn McGee and Micah Hester, for example), Martin Benjamin's book is an illuminating reflection on the craft of philosophy, both as it has been and as some are hoping it may become.

Medical Humanities

In this instructive and delightful book, Martin Benjamin blends the approaches of Wittgenstein and the American pragmatists in the service of an insightful and wide-ranging survey of important philosophical problems. The result is a gem of a book from which both philosophers and curious non-specialists will surely profit.

John D. Arras, University of Virginia