Why Pragmatism?

The idea of having different educational philosophies in teaching is an interesting topic and one that should be explored further. This week the educational philosophy that I chose to look further in depth to was that of pragmatism. Our book says that pragmatism should define the truth and meaning of ideas according to their physical consequences and practical value. Pragmatism is the balance of the realism of science along with the ideals displayed through religion, art, and politics.

My question for the blog this week was the basic question of why pragmatism is the best educational philosophy. The book speaks a great deal about how this philosophy is most often known as the “common sense” philosophy and I believe there is a rather obvious reason for that. This is because it is the philosophy that makes an incredible amount of sense in comparison to the rest of the philosophies that were mentioned in this chapter. Throughout history people have tried to separate religion and the arts from the sciences. However with pragmatism they are both incorporated into each other so that the students have the chance to learn both sides of things. While it is against what I believe to put religion into schools, I think that students could benefit from learning about all of the different religions that exist because it would promote tolerance, which our world so desperately needs.

Pragmatism also promotes the belief that students should be responsible for making decisions so that they may learn of consequence and of how for every action there is a reaction and they need to be aware of that. Pragmatism is incredibly important for that very reason. If children learn that there are different outcomes for each action and decision that they make, they will learn quickly to think out their choices carefully rather than acting rashly. Well-educated children who understand this concept will make for citizens that will be good for our society.

Overall I believe that pragmatism is the most important educational philosophy and that it should be incorporated into every classroom as to benefit the future generation of our world. These children will take what they have learned from pragmatism and apply it to their future, creating a well-balanced and fair world that balances both the arts and the sciences. 

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Intellectual Takeout