This is Jeffrey R. Di Leo's review of Arthur Verslius's 1993 book, American Transcendentalism and Asian Religion.

"Pragmatism," writes Diggens, "advises us to try whatever promises to work and proves to be useful as the mind adjusts to the exigencies of events. Does pragmatism itself work?". Diggens's pursuit of an answer to this question results in a major study of the intellectual and social history of American pragmatism. In the end, while neither affirmative nor negative, his response clearly veers toward the latter.