Thomas M. Norton-Smith is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Kent State University Stark.
List of Illustrations
Foreword
Acknowledgments
1. Common Themes in American Indian Philosophy
First Introductions
Four Common Themes: A First Look
Constructing an Actual American Indian World
2. Nelson Goodman's Constructivism
Setting the Stage
Fact, Fiction, and Feeders
Ontological Pluralism
True Versions and Well-Made Worlds
Nonlinguistic Versions and the Advancement of Understanding
3. True Versions and Cultural Bias
Constructive Realism: Variations on a Theme by Goodman
True Versions and Cultural Bias
An American Indian Well-Made Actual World
4. Relatedness, Native Knowledge, and Ultimate Acceptability
Native Knowledge and Relatedness as a World-Ordering Principle
Native Knowledge and Truth
Native Knowledge and Verification
Native Knowledge and Ultimate Acceptability
5. An Expansive Conception of Persons
A Western Conception of Persons
Native Conceptions of Animate Beings and Persons
An American Indian Expansive Conception of Persons
6. The Semantic Potency of Performance
Opening Reflections and Reminders About Performances
Symbols and Their Performance
The Shawnee Naming Ceremony
Gifting as a World-Constructing Performance
Closing Remarks About the Semantic Potency of Performances
7. Circularity as a World-Ordering Principle
Goodman Briefly Revisited
Time, Events, and History or Space, Place, and Nature?
Circularity as a World-Ordering Principle
Circularity and Sacred Places
Closing Remarks About Circularity as a World-Ordering Principle
8. The Dance of Person and Place
American Indian Philosophy as a Dance of Person and Place
Consequences, Speculations, and Closing Reflections
Notes
Bibliography
Index