American Pragmatist Tradition

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Meriam-Webster dictionary defines pragmatism as: dealing with the problems that exist in a specific situation in a reasonable and logical way instead of depending on ideas and theories. It can therefore be assumed that a pragmatist is someone who is guided by observation and practical experience instead of theory or ideology. People who are pragmatic are sometimes thought of as hardheaded, but for the most part the term is used in a positive way and relates to practical people and sensible thinking. Calling someone pragmatic is usually looked upon as a compliment.

A period of social activism developed in the United States from the 1890s until the 1920s was called the Progressive Era. The main goal was to purify the government, eliminate corruption and exposing the political bosses. Most progressives supported prohibition. Women’s suffrage was promoted and the female vote was defined as a vote for purity. Sectors were identified that needed modernizing, and specifically focused on making American society a better place in which to live. City, State and Federal governments were worked on to improve living conditions for the huge immigration population. Many progressives were concerned with environmental and conservation topics. Progressive hoped to make this country a more democratic place and worked on election reforms.

George Mead is recognized for his work in two important foots of sociology. One is his theories and philosophies on pragmatism and social behaviorism. Mead argues that the pragmatist will look at reality and theorize that the real world “out there” does not really exist. According to Mead, pragmatists believe that reality is created by how the people act and their attitudes toward their world. ...

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...s more are recognized. Both the male and female pragmatists are also considered humanists and see a society capable of improvement through action. Both classical and contemporary pragmatists, male and female, are more interested in the knowledge that is gained through experience.

References

Addams, J. (1910). Twenty years at Hull-House, with autobiographical notes. New York: Macmillan.

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/fem-prag/

Progressive Era. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.answers.com/topic/progressive-era#ixzz2zAwzcGgi

Ritzer, G. (1996). Classical sociological theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Whipps, Judy, "Pragmatist Feminism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2013 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .

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