Pragmatism

Pragmatism is a philosophy—or more correctly, a way of doing philosophy—which pays attention to the practical consequences rather than metaphysical origins of ideas. It is an attempt to ground philosophical debate in the conduct and experience of everyday life; to turn philosophy into a practical, problem-solving enterprise with which everyone can, and should, engage. Geographers have drawn more or less explicitly from a pragmatist philosophical orientation since the early 1980s, and likely earlier, in order to recognize that what is and can be taken to be “truthful” knowledge is intimately bound up with times, places, and contexts. The origins and character of pragmatism are reviewed, spelling out certain core feature of pragmatist argumentation; then more recent versions of pragmatism, sometimes called “neopragmatism,” are examined. The engagement of human geography and related disciplines with pragmatism is detailed, and an outline is provided of its various elements and affinities (with other contemporary developments within human geography and beyond). Finally comments are offered on recent critiques of pragmatism and on how they might be countered.