pragmatism
character or conduct that emphasizes practicality.
a philosophical movement or system having various forms, but generally stressing practical consequences as constituting the essential criterion in determining meaning, truth, or value.
Origin of pragmatism
1Other words from pragmatism
- prag·ma·tis·tic, adjective
- an·ti·prag·ma·tism, noun
- Compare pragmaticism, instrumentalism.
Words Nearby pragmatism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pragmatism in a sentence
We have to figure out a way to balance desire for the pure, non-utilitarian nature of literature with the recognition that pragmatism isn’t bad.
Literature Should Be Taught Like Science - Issue 97: Wonder | Kevin Berger | February 24, 2021 | NautilusBeijing ignores the fact that Hong Kong’s value rests with its judicial independence, common law, and unique blend of progressive ideals and business pragmatism.
The Second World War saw utopian dreams wane, to be replaced by pragmatism.
From Encyclopedias to Telephone Books, How Alphabetization Took Over the Modern World | Judith Flanders | October 28, 2020 | TimeHer pragmatism was a draw for me, Mihlali knew that, but I could also tell she was as enthusiastic about it as I was.
Instead, pragmatism and strategic interests guide these initiatives.
Butterfly Effect: Putin, Xi Are Trumping America at Vaccine Diplomacy | Charu Kasturi | October 8, 2020 | Ozy
De Robertis, an East Village mainstay, closes tomorrow—a moment for nostalgia, but also pragmatism.
But the more they speak, the more the two are bound by pragmatism.
The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson (And Tolstoy and Dickens) | Samuel Fragoso | October 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe defends pragmatism because Quality can be found everywhere.
Zen, Motorcycles, And The Cult of Tech: How Robert Pirsig’s Classic Anticipated the Future | Nathaniel Rich | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMagic in the Moonlight really seems to explore the battle between pragmatism and “magic.”
Woody Allen on ‘Magic in the Moonlight,’ the Crisis in Gaza, and Those Allegations | Marlow Stern | July 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhat plays as depthless violence and bruising circus on screen obscures commercial pragmatism.
During the past few years Eucken has devoted much attention to the Life-system presented in pragmatism.
An Interpretation of Rudolf Eucken's Philosophy | W. Tudor Jonespragmatism has the merit of insisting that the task be done piecemeal, so that man may not lose heart at the very outset.
An Interpretation of Rudolf Eucken's Philosophy | W. Tudor JonesIt is pragmatism as method which is emphasized, I take it, in the subtitle, "a new name for some old ways of thinking."
Essays in Experimental Logic | John DeweyThe alternative between rationalism and pragmatism "concerns the structure of the universe itself" (p. 258).
Essays in Experimental Logic | John DeweyStrict pragmatism would seem to require the first interpretation.
Essays in Experimental Logic | John Dewey
British Dictionary definitions for pragmatism
/ (ˈpræɡməˌtɪzəm) /
action or policy dictated by consideration of the immediate practical consequences rather than by theory or dogma
philosophy
the doctrine that the content of a concept consists only in its practical applicability
the doctrine that truth consists not in correspondence with the facts but in successful coherence with experience: See also instrumentalism
Derived forms of pragmatism
- pragmatist, noun, adjective
- pragmatistic, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for pragmatism
An approach to philosophy, primarily held by American philosophers, which holds that the truth or meaning of a statement is to be measured by its practical (i.e., pragmatic) consequences. William James and John Dewey were pragmatists.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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