Louis Menand
Louis Menand is an American critic, essayist, and professor, best known for his work in American studies. He is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of English at Harvard University. Menand has contributed to the fields of literary criticism, cultural history, and higher education. His book 'The Metaphysical Club' won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for History. He writes for The New Yorker, where he has been a staff writer since 2001.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas
"The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas" is a historical account of the development of pragmatism, one of America's most significant philosophical movements. The book explores the lives and intellectual journeys of four influential thinkers - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., William James, Charles Sanders Peirce, and John Dewey. The narrative centers around the Metaphysical Club, a conversational group these men formed in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1872. Through their discussions, they developed the pragmatist belief that ideas are not mere reflections of reality but tools for action and problem-solving. The book also examines how their ideas influenced American thought and policy in areas such as law, education, and social reform.
