Ormerod, Richard John (2021) Pragmatism in professional practice. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 38 (6). pp. 797-816. doi:10.1002/sres.2739 ISSN 1092-7026.

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Abstract

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the American philosophy of pragmatism. The paper reviews the application of pragmatisms in five selected areas of professional practice: technology, law, politics, medical and social work, and education. Each area is examined for evidence that the ideas of pragmatism have been taken up academically in the research literature. The literature is then examined for evidence that the academic work has permeated the actions of professionals. Each of the chosen practice areas is clearly dominated by pragmatic, instrumental activities. Despite this and a good deal of discussion in the academic literature, there is only limited evidence that professionals, in so far as they exhibit pragmatist behaviour, make any explicit connection with the philosophy of pragmatism. The early pragmatists argued that pragmatic behaviour arises from man's need to solve problems quickly, using his limited understanding of the situation, in order to survive and flourish: no philosophy had been required to guide such behaviour. Today, philosophy is often consulted on questions of ethical and moral dilemmas in most practice areas, but the philosophy of pragmatism may well not feature in such discussions. Experience in operational research (OR) practice is reviewed and compared with that in the five other practice areas. From the reviews, a list of the habits and orientations is synthesized, habits and orientations that could be taken to characterize pragmatism in professional practice.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BD Speculative Philosophy B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BJ Ethics
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Warwick Business School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Pragmatism, Philosophy, American, Inquiry (Theory of knowledge), Applied philosophy, Professional ethics
Journal or Publication Title:	Systems Research and Behavioral Science
Publisher:	John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ISSN:	1092-7026
Official Date:	November 2021
Dates:	Date Event November 2021 Published 22 September 2020 Available 21 August 2020 Accepted 22 May 2020 Submitted
Volume:	38
Number:	6
Page Range:	pp. 797-816
DOI:	10.1002/sres.2739
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)
Date of first compliant deposit:	9 August 2022
Date of first compliant Open Access:	15 August 2022

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