What is Pragmatism?

Pragmatic people prioritize actions and solutions that are likely to be effective in the real world. They don't get caught up in theorizing about ideals that might not be practical in practice.

This article outlines three principles of pragmatic inquiry. It also provides two examples of project-based the organization processes of non-governmental organizations. It suggests that pragmatic approach to research is a useful method to study the dynamic processes.

It's an attitude

It is a method for solving problems that considers the practical results and consequences. It focuses on practical outcomes over beliefs, feelings, and moral principles. However, this type of thinking can lead to ethical dilemmas if it is not compatible with moral values or principles. It also can overlook longer-term consequences of decisions.

Pragmatism is a philosophical approach that was developed in the United States around 1870. It is a burgeoning alternative to continental and analytic philosophy traditions around the world. The pragmatic philosophers Charles Sanders Peirce and William James (1842-1910) were the first to formulate it. They defined the philosophy in the publication of a series of papers, and later promoted it by teaching and demonstrating. Josiah Royce, (1855-1916) and John Dewey, (1859-1952) were among their students.

Early pragmatists were skeptical of foundational theories of justification which believed that empirical knowledge is based on a set of unchallenged or "given," beliefs. Pragmatists, like Peirce or Rorty were, however, of the opinion that theories are continuously modified and ought to be viewed as working hypotheses that could need to be refined or discarded in light of future research or experience.

A central premise of the philosophy was the principle that any theory can be clarified through tracing its "practical implications" and its implications for experiences in specific contexts. This method resulted in a distinctive epistemological view that is a fallibilist, anti-Cartesian explanation of the norms that govern inquiry. James and Dewey for instance were defenders of an alethic pluralist view of truth.

Many pragmatists resigned themselves to the term as the Deweyan period ended and the analytic philosophy grew. But some pragmatists continued to develop the philosophy, including George Herbert Mead (who contributed to feminist feminism) and Dorothy Parker Follett (who considered the organization as an operation). Some pragmatists were focused on the concept of realism in its broadest sense - whether it was a scientific realism founded on a monism of truth (following Peirce) or a more broadly-based alethic pluralitism (following James &amp