Search results for "pragmatism"
showing 10 items of 99 documents
Action research as narrative: five principles for validation
2007
Along with the narrative turn in social sciences, the quality of research has become a more and more intricate issue. Action research reports are often narratives, located in the context of the evolving experiences of those involved. In this paper, the problem of quality in action research narratives is addressed, and some principles for assessing the quality of narrative research reports are proposed. The issue is explored both at a theoretical‐conceptual level and through a number of practical cases from the narrative‐biographical research project TeacherLife. As narrative researchers, the authors are not willing to accept an extremely relativistic stand. They argue the need for conceptua…
Methodology and Methods for Analysing Websites
2017
This chapter describes the methodology, methods, and analytical schemes developed for and applied to the case study of the contrade of Siena. It presents no general research design, but, rather, demonstrates a possible method for designing one. The author suggests that “virtual ethnography” and “Netnography ” provide convincing methodological foundations for the establishment of research designs that can be combined with a phenomenological theoretical perspective. However, these approaches do not offer a satisfying methodology to analysing the content of the web pages, and therefore a possible content analysis, based on ideas from the semiotics of pragmatism, as developed by Peirce and his …
How (Not) to Write the History of Pragmatist Philosophy of Science?
2008
This survey article discusses the pragmatist tradition in twentieth century philosophy of science. Pragmatism, originating with Charles Peirce's writings on the pragmatic maxim in the 1870s, is a background both for scientific realism and, via the views of William James and John Dewey, for the relativist and/or constructivist forms of neopragmatism that have often been seen as challenging the very ideas of scientific rationality and objectivity. The paper shows how the issue of realism arises in pragmatist philosophy of science and how some pragmatists, classical and modern, have attempted to deal with it. Various dimensions of the realism dispute are thus discussed, especially realism as c…
The choice of tradition and the tradition of choice: Habermas’ and Rorty’s interpretation of pragmatism
1999
The paper is aimed at discussing two interpretations of pragmatism in a broader framework of general rules of philosophical interpretation. J. Habermas’ and R. Rorty’s uses of pragmatism are considered in detail and confronted with general assumptions of pragmatic philosophy. It is shown that in both cases the original ideas of pragmatism are changed in order to fit the philosophies of interpreters. The paper ends with discussion of a possibility of applying the rule of interpretative charity and dialogue to philosophical analyses.
Democratic values in the aesthetics of classic American pragmatism
2011
Abstract In the present paper an interpretation of the political dimension of pragmatic aesthetic reflection is proposed. The interconnection between politics and aesthetics in three classic American pragmatists: William James (1842–1910), John Dewey (1859–1952), and George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) is evoked. The author claims that by emphasizing the role of democratic values in philosophy and life, the classic American pragmatists encroach upon the field of the arts and aesthetics. Their emphasis put upon individual activity, free expression of thoughts, plurality of the forms of expression, and acceptance of criticism as a tool helping create better solutions in human cooperation can easi…
Morton White’s philosophy of culture: Holistic pragmatism and interdisciplinary inquiry
2011
Abstract This paper explicates and defends Morton White’s holistic pragmatism, the view that descriptive and normative statements form a “seamless web” which must be tested as a “unified whole”. This position, originally formulated as a methodological and epistemic principle, can be extended into a more general philosophy of culture, as White himself has shown in his book, A Philosophy of Culture (2002). On the basis of holistic pragmatism, the paper also offers a pragmatist conception of metaphilosophy and defends the need for interdisciplinary inquiry.
The Determinants of Performance in China: A Study Focused on Cultural and Institutional Drivers in the Area of Shanghai
2015
We base our work on an historical study and on interviews of Chinese managers living in the area of Shanghai. We use the institutional theoretical stream in combination with the impact of national culture, considering that organizations and managers are influenced by cultural and institutional determinants. In a first part, we describe the theoretical background to the research and our method. Then, in a second part, we present the significant cultural and institutional features of China that enable us to justify several hypotheses about our topic. In a third part, we analyze twelve in-depth interviews, trying to answer our research question. Our basic research question focuses on what “Per…
The Future of Crowdfunding Research and Practice
2020
AbstractThis chapter critically reflects on current crowdfunding research and practice while highlighting eight dilemmas that are expected to shape the future of crowdfunding. Each dilemma is critically discussed and is followed by relevant suggestions for future research. These dilemmas include: (1) the balance between idealism and pragmatism; (2) the extent of cooperation between crowdfunding platforms and traditional financial institutions; (3) measurement of crowdfunding success and performance in financial and socio-economic terms; (4) the balance between quantity and quality in campaigns approved for publication by platforms; (5) domestic versus international growth of crowdfunding pl…
Technology management, networking positions and work/life boundaries among working adult students
2021
In this digitalised world, crossing boundaries between life domains is becoming increasingly easy. We are constantly faced with the need to define whether we are online or offline, and technology management is now an integral part of daily life. Technology management, which is affected by the individual's networking position, has different components: connectivity management, online self-presentation and privacy management. The objective of this study is to explore technology management strategies among working adult students. The study identifies three networking positions: socio-affective enthusiasts, context-contingent pragmatists and pragmatic avoiders. These three groups have specific …
Pragmatist Perspectives on Theological and Religious Realism
2014
This essay first applies the general issue of realism vs. antirealism to theology and the philosophy of religion, distinguishing between several different ‘levels’ of the realism dispute in this context. A pragmatic approach to the problem of realism regarding religion and theology is sketched and tentatively defended. The similarities and differences of scientific realism, on the one hand, and religious and/or theological realism, on the other hand, are thereby also illuminated. The concept of recognition is shown to be crucially relevant to the issue of realism especially in its pragmatist articulation.