Pragmatism—John Dewey

Pragmatism (or Instrumentalism or Experimentalism) has been described as ‘an attitude’, ‘a theory of the nature of ideas and truth’, and ‘a theory about reality’. In this chapter, Pragmatism, both in its wider sense, as a ‘theory of truth’, and in its narrower sense, as a ‘method’, are explored. The chapter begins by looking at the origins of Pragmatism—as envisioned by Peirce—and reviews both Peirce’s and Dewey’s interpretations of terms such as inquiry and experience. The chapter then moves on to examine the meaning Dewey attached to the term ‘Pragmatism’. Dewey’s revolutionary view of the structure of knowledge as an action ‘which modifies what previously existed’ (rather than as a static, unchanging system) is explained through a discussion of the ways in which meaning (the precursor of knowledge) may be activated—i.e. through the processes of experiencing, thinking, and communicating, we interact with our environment (to change it, be changed by it, and… come to understand it). Links are made between Pragmatism, as a philosophical ‘movement’, and Dewey’s ideas on experience and inquiry as forming the basis for undertaking research. I reflect on the impact Pragmatism has had on teaching and learning science in schools, with particular emphasis on Inquiry-Based Science Education (as set out by publications such as Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards, 2000; Next Generation Science Standards, 2013). The chapter closes with the implications Pragmatism holds for what Dewey calls the educative process.