Becoming a Pragmatist Philosopher: Status, Self-Concept, and Intellectual Choice

What social factors influence intellectuals' decisions to affiliate with one intellectual tradition over another? In recent years, many sociologists of ideas have viewed intellectual choice as based on the quest for status within the intellectual field. However, the self-narratives that thinkers construct to understand who they are as intellectuals are not usually reducible to considerations of status, and the desire to do work resonant with any salient aspect of one's intellectual self-concept may influence the intellectual choices one makes. This issue is explored empirically by examining the case of philosophers who have affiliated themselves with the tradition of classical American pragmatism. Data come from interviews and from a nationally representative survey of U.S. philosophers. Results show that the choice to become a pragmatist is best explained by invoking both theories of status-based choice and the theory of intellectual self-concept. Implications for future research are considered.