The Power of Pragmatism: Knowledge Production and Social Inquiry

Description

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.

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 -- .

'In a world in which ideological boundaries are increasingly impermeable and cross-political debates mere shouting matches, pragmatism offers not just an escape but entry into a world of mutual respect, justice, and democracy. This book is a contribution to hope at a time when despair seems unavoidable.' Robert A. Beauregard, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University 'The Power of Pragmatism is so much more than just a model of pragmatist scholarship, old and new. It offers a timely message about how a living tradition of thought can embrace a world of uncertainty and competing truths without itself seeking guarantees. Genuinely multidisciplinary, the collection champions a political stance as much as a philosophical one: the pressing need to create shared, collective responses to the social, political and environmental challenges that confront us today.' John Allen, Professor Emeritus, Open University 'This excellent book offers a vital approach to knowledge as a collective and participatory process of experiment and action for an unstable and complex world. A diverse set of outstanding authors contribute innovative insights on a wide range of fields including geography, politics, environmental studies, economic development and urban planning. This impressive and hugely encouraging text convincingly shows how intelligence, conversation, and collaboration can produce useful knowledge that provides ways to cope with emerging problems and threats of change.' Peter Sunley, Professor of Economic Geography, University of Southampton -- .