American Pragmatism was born out of the conversations of a small group of men who called themselves “the Metaphysical Club”. It was a group made of lawyers, scientists, and philosophers, who shared an interest in Darwin, as well as a common conviction that beliefs have consequences. It was in this club where William James first heard Charles Peirce read his “pragmatic maxim”: “Consider what effects, which might conceivably have practical bearings, we conceive the object of our conception to have. Then, our conception of these effects is the whole of our conception of the object”. In this episode, Tim Keefe joins the show to talk about the most influential ideas of the Metaphysical Club, as well as Charles Peirce’s “pragmatic maxim”.