Pragmatism Philosophy

Ultimately, the goal of reformation was to achieve democratic perfection; a system of communalism in which there were no inequalities nor social evils to speak of (Doc. F). The idea of utopian socialism, fostered by the British reformer Robert Owen, preached such ideals, and lead to the attempt of several utopian societies. Such reform attempts were not always met with warm welcome, however, as some argued their contempt and complete disregard for the accomplishments of the past thanks to the existing order (Doc. G).

J. Patrick Dobel, in Public Integrity, argues that political prudence provides a basic ethical resource for public officials. Prudence means to see ahead and the ability to think clearly before one acts. An individual needs to think about the short and long-term consequences of their actions. Political prudence is attached to excellent achievement in politics, which consists of outcomes that “gain legitimacy, endure over time, strengthen the political community, unleash minimum unforeseen consequences, require reasonable use of power resources and do not require great violence or coercion to enforce the outcome,” (Dobel p. 199). In addition, a prudent leader needs to be open to experience and knowledge, (Dobel p. 211).

idealistic belief of equality, liberty, and happiness for all to the view that what is most important

Once a small fishing village with almost no natural resources, Singapore has flourished into a point of pride for the world. As Nicolas Berggruen, a famous French investor and philanthropist said, “Singapore was created out of the swamp, with a strong emotional idea: a safe place mostly for Chinese, but accepting other cultures and other races.” Singapore had been at a disadvantage for most of its early age, until the achievement of its first world status towards the end of the 20th century. Much of this success can be attributed to the first prime minister of Singapore, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew. Malcolm Gladwell in David and

There is no shortage of scholarly reviewed research linking Richard Rorty with the revitalization of pragmatism, or more appropriately neo-pragmatism. Pragmatism has roots in an inquiry of truth, beginning with Peirce’s inquisition into the meaning of concepts from the lens of experience; however more discourse for pragmatism in public administration is aimed at Dewey and his ability to convert concepts into a means of action and emphasis on problem solving (Hildebrand, 2005). Richard Rorty has been credited by several authors (Hildebrand, 2005; Issac, 1999; Hoch, 2006) with reviving pragmatism by engaging the opinions of classical thinkers, most notably Dewey, as relevant to the modern state. For Rorty, man has the ability to propose a

William James is one important philosopher we have discussed in our lectures. James brings a unique interpretation of pragmatism. Pragmatism is an approach to assessing the truth of meaning for beliefs, based on their practical use. James believed that a belief is true, if the results of its implication are satisfactory. In addition, James believed that unpractical beliefs couldn’t be rejected because our different human experience yield different truths. I find James argument compelling because he focuses on individual human experiences. The way in which we see the world and implement our beliefs, are the truths that we come to believe. In addition, our experiences validate the truth behind our beliefs because we are experiencing it. An interesting syllogism arises from this philosophical ideology. If all men have individually formed beliefs, and those beliefs through individual experiences become truth, then there are multiple versions of how society should be.

Pragmatism is the belief that what is real is what works and predicts what is likely to happen next. Pragmatism is not about how things actually are or how really real they are like most other parts of ontology like idealism and materialism it is about how things work and predict what is likely to happen. This means to me that it does not matter the the

William and Henry James ushered in “Pragmatism” which held that modern society should rely for guidance not on inherited ideals and moral principles but on the test of scientific inquiry.  No idea was valid unless it stood the test of experience.

Pragmatism is described in the book as a method for settling philosophical disputes. It is based on the pragmatic theory of truth. This theory says that a 'proposition p is true if and only if the belief that 'p is true' works'; (Voices of Wisdom, 346). In order

In my experience, pragmatics, is disguise as many other terms in my curriculum: tone, voice, style, historical and cultural contexts. Style is how something is said. Tone is a writer’s attitude toward a subject. Voice is a writer’s unique use of language; the way a writer chooses words, construct sentences, and expresses ideas. Historical and cultural contexts refers to the events, social problems, traditions, and values that may have influenced the author and the writing. According to Lesaux and Harris, “Pragmatics refers to an understanding of the social rules of communication (Snow and Uccelli 2009)” (Lesaux Harris, p. 17). Even though I don’t directly teach the definition of pragmatics, I feel that in my middle school curriculum pragmatics

Since Singapore’s establishment in 1965, the government of Singapore had adopted a genre of paternalistic leadership in many areas (Lee, 2008). Personally, I have so far taken the view that it was the most fundamental thing for this tiny oriental country.

‘’As every coin has two sides’’, some people argue that ideals is only way for the betterment of the society.

Currently, three prominent ideologies dominate the governing style of the world today: socialism, liberalism and conservatism. Many political groups and leaders often follow or claim to follow a specific ideology. On the other side of the spectrum for those who follow one ideology specific, there are some individuals that knowingly or unknowingly that follow none and focus on practicality of ideas. Those individuals are referred to as pragmatist. According to Encyclopædia Britannica, pragmatism is based on the principle that emphasis on the usefulness, workability, and practicality of ideas, policies, and proposals (“Pragmatism”, n.d). Basically, a pragmatist would focus on the actions and/or the consequences rather than the doctrine. Even

Pragmatism first appeared in the late nineteenth century, but was only widely accepted after World War II. This philosophy assumed that life has a purpose and that rivals theories about man and the world have to be tested against this purpose. Pragmatism caught on in the United States because Americans were focused on results and achieving their goals (Troxell 1). What is known as Pragmatism was a broad philosophical movement that affected the American way of thinking in logic and science, psychology and religion, and ethics and social behavior.

However, the development of Singapore’s society cannot be predicated on pure economics alone. Even though globalization has enabled Singapore to fare well in economic development, however, termed the perils of success, globalization has brought about undesirable