The Power of Pragmatism: Knowledge Production and Social Inquiry - Paperback

by Jane Wills (Editor), Robert Lake (Editor)

This book makes the case for a pragmatist approach to the practice of social inquiry and knowledge production. Through diverse examples from multiple disciplines, contributors explore the power of pragmatism to inform a practice of inquiry that is democratic, community-centred, problem-oriented and experimental. Drawing from both classical and neo-pragmatist perspectives, the book advances a pragmatist sensibility in which truth and knowledge are contingent rather than universal, made rather than found, provisional rather than dogmatic, subject to continuous experimentation rather than ultimate proof, and verified in their application in action rather than in the accuracy of their representation of an antecedent reality. The Power of Pragmatism offers a path forward for mobilizing the practice of inquiry and knowledge production on behalf of achieving what Dewey called a sense for the better kind of life to be led.

Back Jacket

This book advances a pragmatist sensibility for social inquiry in which truth and knowledge are contingent rather than universal, made rather than found, provisional rather than dogmatic, subject to continuous experimentation rather than ultimate proof, and verified through their application in action rather than in the accuracy of their representation of an antecedent reality.

The contributors explore the power of pragmatist approaches to inform a practice of social inquiry and knowledge production that is problem-oriented, community-centred, democratic and experimental. The Power of Pragmatism offers a way to address contemporary challenges and mobilise the practice of inquiry and knowledge production to discern what John Dewey referred to as "a sense for the better kind of life to be led."

Author Biography

Jane Wills is Professor of Geography at the Centre for Geography and Environmental Science and the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter

Robert W. Lake is Professor in the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy and a member of the Graduate Faculties in Geography and Urban Planning at Rutgers University