"I am using the word pragmatism in a specific sense. I am not speaking about being pragmatic as a political tactic; deciding what issues should be given priority and what battles to choose, or a willingness to compromise, or a recognition that there are limits to what can be accomplished at any time. I am writing now about pragmatism in a meaning closer to its philosophical origin in the writings of William James-that truth is not found in abstract principles or beliefs,"
"In previous posts, I have discussed principles of constructive dialogue and reasoned argument. If we are willing, first, to listen to another person's concerns, then, to consider the most reasonable form of her opinion (intellectual charity) and to acknowledge the inevitable limitations of our own (intellectual humility), we have taken several steps away from ideology and move toward pragmatism. Our discussion will now more often be "pragmatic.""
"Pragmatism is anti-ideological and an antidote to certainty. The language of pragmatism is conditional, not absolute. Pragmatism asks about specific conditions. To change an ideological statement-a statement of conviction or belief-into a pragmatic question, we ask "in what cases, under what conditions, to what extent." Pragmatic debates are very different from ideological debates. Ideology imposes constraints on thought and problem-solving."
Pragmatism treats truth as the observable effects of beliefs and practices rather than abstract, absolute principles. Pragmatism uses conditional language and asks about specific cases, conditions, and extents instead of asserting certainty. Practicing intellectual charity, listening to concerns, and acknowledging one's limitations move thinking away from ideology and toward pragmatic inquiry. Pragmatism removes ideological constraints on which problems are seen and which solutions are considered, thereby widening options and encouraging continual questioning. Pragmatism emphasizes what works in particular circumstances and adapts assessments to context, testing beliefs by their practical consequences.
Read at Psychology Today
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