Discusses Calvinism and Jonathan Edwards, Joseph Bellamy, Nathaniel William Taylor, John Witherspoon, James Marsh, Noah Porter, John Stuart Mill, Charles Peirce, William James, Josiah Royce, John Dewey, Wilfrid Sellars, Rudolph Carnap, Herbert Marcuse, Nelson Goodman, W.V.O. Quine, Thomas Kuhn, Richard Rorty, the influence of Darwin's ideas, and more.

Speculative thought in America, 1720-1868. Calvinism and Jonathan Edwards -- Philosophy and politics -- Theological dispute -- Collegiate philosophy -- Innovative amateurs -- The age of pragmatism, 1859-1934. The shape of revolution -- The consensus on idealism, 1870-1900 -- Pragmatism in Cambridge -- Pragmatism in Harvard -- Instrumentalism in Chicago and New York -- Professional philosophy, 1912-2000. Professional realism -- Europe's impact on the United States -- Harvard and Oxford -- The tribulations of professional philosophy -- Conclusion.