In this fresh, provocative account of the American philosophical tradition, Roger Ward explores the work of key thinkers through an innovative and counterintuitive lens: religious conversion. From Jonathan Edwards to Cornel West, Ward threads the history of American thought into an extended, multivalent encounter with the religious experience. Looking at Dewey, James, Peirce, Rorty, Corrington, and other thinkers, Ward demonstrates that religious themes have deeply influenced the development of American philosophy.

This innovative reading of the American philosophical tradition will be welcomed not only by philosophers, but also by historians and other students of America's religious, intellectual, and cultural legacy.

Roger Ward is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown College, Kentucky.Roger Ward is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown College, Kentucky.

Ward's distinctively theological account of pragmatism is bold, and his telling of the story of pragmaticm is vivid.

...the value of Ward's project transcends religious themes and thus is worthy of attention by those who are interested in American philosophy, American culture, and American pragmatism from a non-religious perspective.

I recommend this book enthusiastically to students of conversion and of the American philosophical tradition. It makes a significant contribution to our understanding of both and deserves careful reading and study.