This thesis deals with an antinomy in debates among contemporary Pragmatists. Lodging the authority of rationality in the context of evolving traditions raises problems of relativism. Yet attempts to preserve the transcendence of reason raise epistemological problems Pragmatism was designed to circumvent. This thesis adjudicates disputes among contemporary Pragmatists, through a discussion of the historical origins of the issues that divide them.;Chapter I summarizes the structure of the argument. Chapter II describes the cultural context in which Pragmatism emerged. It is argued that even for Peirce, despite his emphasis on formal logic, Pragmatism cannot be understood apart from issues in ethics, religion and metaphysics.;Chapter III disc...