Phenomenology and Pragmatism originated roughly at the same time (the latter half of the 19th century) at different places in the world: phenomenology in the German-speaking countries, pragmatism in the still-young United States. It is fair to say that these two philosophical tendencies belong to the strongest currents in contemporary philosophy.

Looking back at the history of 19th and early 20th century philosophy, the members of the phenomenological movement and the pragmatic movement have tried to make sense of and in many cases had a keen grasp of their mutual overlaps and have followed each other more or less closely.

The editors deliberate attempt has been to bring together experts from both sides, who have an expertise in the respective other field. This deliberate decision and tension has allowed for an open and more productive dialogue between both traditions. The present dialogue, as mirrored in the list of articles, covers inquiries into concrete phenomena (e.g. attention, evaluative experience, suffering), metatheoretical concerns (e.g. transcendentalism, realism, naturalization), historical comparisons (e.g. Peirce, Bollnow, Lévinas, Lotze) and intercultural as well as societal perspectives.