Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but limited
Review: The liner notes on the jacket-cover make this book seem more coherent than it actually is. According to the cover, Menand aims to show that pragmatism is uniquely American. But to really show how uniquely American it is, he needs to tell us about other countries and discuss what their thinkers were coming up with. I have a strong suspicion that if he took a look at Britain and France during the same period (1870 to 1930, approximately), he would find just as many "pragmatic" thinkers who were skeptical of ideology and were influenced by scientific thinking. The difference is, he would also find more ideologues. He would probably find more intellectuals of all stripes in Europe at that time.But perhaps the book doesn't aim to show how unique pragmatism is to the US. Maybe it just wants to tell a story of how American pragmatism came about. If so, I wish it were a smoother read. I found it kind of plodding. Glad I read it though. And interesting and ambitious project. I will keep looking out for new Menand titles.
Rating: 
Summary: Discovering Pragmatism
Review: This book is absolutely amazing in what it achieves. Pragmatism is no longer the dry philosophy of one man or a group of men considered together. We see Pragmatism for what it is: the expression of a broad array of American experiences crystalilzed into a distinct set of beliefs and values. Not Just Pierce, James and Dewey; we discover that Pragmatism contains other distinct voices, like W. E. B. Du Bois and Jane Addams (two thinkers who could have been discussed a little more). The characters are vivididly portrayed, and through them the history and culture that surrounds them is also illuminated. Be prepared, this is not only a philosophical excursion, it is a great story that will move you. That said, perhaps the only thing this book is missing are the voices of Native Americans. If you wish to delve even deeper into the rich subject that is American Pragmatism, see Scott Pratt's "Native Pragmatism: Rethinking the Roots of American Philosophy". Pratt enlarges and suppliments what the Metaphysical Club omitted, either because it wasn't readily visible to a predominantly Anglo-Saxon writer writing about a tradition dominated by Anglo-Saxon thinkers, or because it was too large to fit within the scope of one book dedicated to Pragmatism's known heros. Simple solution: Read them both!
Rating:
Summary: Covers a lot but worth it.
Review: The most important concept in this book is that ideas should be judged on consequences not their origins. A great intro to Pragmatism and its influence on American history, law, and education.
Rating: 
Summary: An Undeniable Rarity
Review: What makes this book so rare and, in my opinion, delectable, is it's seamless fusion of biography, history, philosophy and just plain engrossing storytelling. Very few books can do that, let alone do it as beautifully as this one. Its underlying theme is the intertwining lives of psychologist William James, jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, and philosophers Charles Peirce (pronounced 'pers') and philosopher John Dewey. Together (yet seperately)they created a philosophy called Pragmatism. The title, I warn you, is a bit misleading. The Metaphysical Club refers to a club that met, consisting of these and a few other members. When I say briefly, the clubs existence in this book takes up maybe 40 pages, so to call the book by that title may give the reader is distorted view of its contents. Much more than philosophy and biography is covered in this book. The author has a tendency to wander off track. For example, Charles Peirce, early in his career, testified in a trial over a will supposedly forged and the author spends a good chapter on the trial alone, rarely mentioning Peirce. Also towards the books beginning, we hear much more about the Civil War itself than Holmes role as a combatant. Put briefly, if you are looking for a book strictly introducing and explaining pragmatism, this is not the best book. Pick up The Pragmatism Reader, edited by Menand. You could also simply read the last three chapters of this one, which contain one of the best outline of pragmatism outside of James and Peirce that I've read. If, though, you have the time and interest to hear great stories and learn some new things, this is a first rate book. The characters come to life (especially Peirce and Holmes) and if you stick through untill the end, you will find that the book, albeit in a round-about fashion, DOES offer us a good look into pragmatism and its galvanizers. See, one of pragmatisms core 'tenets' is that ideas can't be well understood when seperated form context. We form ideas only as guides for action in the existing world, so ideas without situational reference is like a table without a base. In order to understand how pragmatism got started, then, we must need context. Now the discussions mentioned above about the Civil War and the trial over the will do not seem like asides, but rather as necessary to understanding the whole. As I said above, this book is an extrememly well written, entertaining and erudite look at America and it's first native philosophy. Higly reccomended. (If you like this get Branden's "My years with Ayn Rand" and Magee's "Confessions of a Philosopher."
Rating:
Summary: A Grand Mixture
Review: The Metaphysical Club takes the reader on a grand tour of late 19th century ideas in philosophy, psychology, law, religion, science, sociology and culture. It's a fascinating book written for the general reader. Pragmatism is considered to be America's chief contribution to philosophy. Menand covers all of the above topics in the context of the culture of the times. Mini-biographies of William James, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Dewey and Charles Sanders Peirce are seamlessly woven into the text. The reader learns of the development of the new fields of Psychology and Sociology. Holmes' new theories of the law are discussed: Law is based not on logic, but on experience; liability under the law is based on what a reasonable man would determine. I found the section on late nineteenth century science to be quite interesting. Today's social constructionists say science is not based on a search for truth, but is reflective of cultural and political beliefs. Although I am not in agreement with much of this current philosophy, you will find interesting evidence of this concept being exhibited in the late 1800s. Samuel Norton, an anthropologist did some very flawed, actually meaningless research, and concluded that there were five basic races that could be graded by skull size. Caucasians had the largest skulls, and Blacks the smallest, thus proving that Whites are the brightest, and Blacks the most intellectual inferior. Many liked this theory, including the noted scientist Louis Agassiz. It confirmed their views of that "degraded" Black race. This is a fascinating book that is very accessible to the intelligent layman. You'll enjoy it, unless, of course, you have no interest in philosophy, law, religion, science, psychology, sociology, anthropology or culture.
Rating:
Summary: Strong Intellectual History
Review: This well written book is a group biography of the founders of the only native school of American philosophy, pragmatism. It is simultaneously an analysis of how a group of gifted intellectuals who inherited a relatively stable intellectual system dealt with a series of severe challenges to their received ideas. Implicit in Menand's analysis is the that these individuals are examples of how 19th century USA dealt with the tremendous intellectual and social changes of the second half of the 19th century. Menand describes the careers and important philosophical works of Oliver Wendell Holmes, William James, C.S. Peirce, and John Dewey. While there were certainly significant differences in thinking among these disparate individuals, Menand identifies crucial similarities in their thinking. All were inheritors of the pre-Civil War New England intellectual tradition that included various strains of protestantism, including Unitarianism, Transcendentalism, and moderately liberal political ideas. Menand uses the careers of these individuals to illustrate the challenges that arose to the intellectual inheritence of these men. Menand uses Holmes to show how the bitter experience of the Civil War created lasting skepticism about the value of ideals. With William James, Menand shows the tremendous impact of Darwin's ideas on the 19th century. With C.S. Peirce, Menand explores the impact of statistical mechanics and the erosion of deterministic Newtonian physics. Finally, the career of Dewey is used to illustrate the challenges produced by urbanization, immigration, and industrialization. With all these men, the end result was profound skepticism about received ideas, a tremendous suspicion about dogma, and an emphasis on methods of thinking and decision making rather than conclusions. Menand sees this intellectual movement as implicitly part of America's transition from a predominantly rural, Protestant society to the pluralistic, urban, and modern world we have today.
The Metaphysical Club is well written and Menand integrates a remarkably broad swath of knowledge about 19th century America into his book. It is hard to write a book with broad appeal that sustains a high level of scholarship but Menand has brought it off very well.
I do see some defects in the book. I don't think Menand really shows how atypical the Pragmatists were in their own time. Popular American culture remained individualistic, Protestant, and entrepeunerial in orientation. While Menand correctly stresses the discontinuities in American life and thought after the Civil War, he doesn't remark on some very important continuities found in the lives of his protagonists. All grew up within the orbit of New England intellectual culture. This culture inculcated an ethos of striving and personal achievement. At its best, this ethos stressed achievement not for the individual's sake but some form of social contribution or leadership, a legacy of New England Puritanism. In their different ways, Holmes, James, Peirce, and Dewey all manifested these traits.
Rating:
Summary: History of a New Philosophy
Review: The Civil War marks the birth modern the modern United States. Freed from decades of debate over the slavery questions, the country unleashed the forces of industrialization and expansion. In the realm of ideas, the civil war also discredited the country's intellectual climate. It took nearly 50 years for Americans to develop a philosophy that would help them cope with it. Louis Menand's study of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. William James, Charles Sanders Peirce, and John Dewey shows how these four men developed a philosophy of pragmatism following the Civil War. Together these four thinkers, each of them giants in their chosen field, founded in 1874 an informal discussion group in Cambridge, MA called The Metaphysical Club. Although they met for only nine months, the ideas they discussed became the foundation of the ideas and values that changed the way Americans were to think and live for the next 50 years. This book is an effort to write about those ideas through the personal and social situations of the four individuals who conceived them.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult but rewarding
Review: Without a background in philosophy many passages were beyond my understanding. But, the essence of the book, dealing with the lives and thoughts of mid 19th century intellectuals. was engrossing. Menand structures his narrative in such a way that the reader can grasp the major themes on which the central figures focused.
I was shocked by the pervasive racism and parochial religiosity of these Great Men. Political correctness in that era would not even try to wash in the late 20th century. The story of the 3 black med students being driven out of Harvard by their peers and the fact that Harvard did not accept a woman to its med school until 1945 were astounding revelations I was also impressed by the false pseudo scientific hypotheses which were accepted as gospel by many. And used as rationalization for passive prejudice and government action.
We have come a long way since then. While admiring much that Holmes, James, Pierce et al contributed I left feeling somewhat disappointed in their narrow vision. Certainly, I recommend this volume. It stimulates thought and provides significant knowledge about the era.
Rating: 
Summary: Perpetually on the verge
Review: This book, initially so promising, was ultimately extremely annoying. The essence of these philosophers' thought is suffocated by biographical mishmash and annoying side trips. As I turned the pages, I hoped that Menand would manage to tie all of his many loose strings together, or at least to explain with some clarity what his subjects had in common. No such luck. Three-quarters of the way through I abandoned hope. Pity the poor editor whose job it was to make a book of Menand's meanderings. I am totally mystified why this book garnered such nice reviews.
Rating:
Summary: How Ideas Helped To Save The Great Experiment
Review: The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand is a tour de force of biography, history, and philosophy, and is so well-written that it kept me up for nights in a row reading it. The book focuses on four men, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey, their contemporaries, their philosophical musings, and the history of the U.S. from the Civil War to the early parts of the 20th Century. Whether you love it or hate it, pragmatism is one of the offspring of this long and complex piece of history. I like to tell people that I don't subscribe to any -ists or -isms, but I know that much of my personal philosophy stems from the thinking of these gentlemen and I found it interesting to see what their thinking was like, warts and all. I found that reading the book helped me put a lot of things I'd been thinking about into perspective. The United States of America is one of the greatest experiments ever conducted on the planet Earth. Often things have faltered [as it did in the Civil War], but bright and determined people have helped to see it through the low spots. The Metaphysical Club covers an important part of that story. I highly recommend this book.
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