ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that pragmatism is consistent with modest epistemological pluralism. It distinguishes different varieties of pluralism and argues that pragmatists must reject all pluralisms except for what the researchers term modest epistemological pluralism. The chapter discusses the prospects for pragmatist-friendly modest epistemological pluralism. It addresses the concern that modest epistemological pluralism is not practically distinguishable from monism. One way to get a grip on what philosophical pluralism must assert is to look to its primary philosophical opposition. Pluralism's main opponent is monism. Monism is the view that all valuable things are either instances of the one thing that is ultimately valuable, or instruments toward attaining or producing instances or quantities of that one thing. Moral experience leads one to the view that there are indeed tragic conflicts. Yet monist views must deny that any value conflict has a tragic structure.
