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Focus on:

Research Onion
Pragmatism Philosophy
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
Audience: PhD fellows
Institute of Management Sciences, Peshawar - Pakistan
Which Philosophical paradigm?
What questions?
Which methods?

BECAUSE
the purpose is to develop knowledge in a particular
field
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
Ontology:What is out there?
the nature of reality and the way the world operates.
objectivism. This portrays the position that social entities exist in reality external
to social actors concerned with their existence.
subjectivism, holds that social phenomena are created from the perceptions and
consequent actions of those social actors concerned with their existence.

Epistemology: What do you know? and How do you know it?


It tries to find the acceptable knowledge and addresses the facts according to
that.

Axiology:
how valuables and opinions impact the collection and analysis of a research.

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti


RESEARCH ONION
Positivism
Philosophies
can be scientifically verified
or is capable of logical or
mathematical proof.

a "reality" of material objects, and possibly of


abstract concepts, exists in an external world Realism
independently of our minds and perceptions.

social worlds cannot be studied in the same way as


physical phenomena as complexity needs to be
taken into account

Interpretivism
an ideology or proposition is true
if it works satisfactorily.

Pragmatism
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
developed by Saunders et al. (2007)
RESEARCH ONION
Positivism
Philosophies
can be scientifically verified
or is capable of logical or
mathematical proof. Deductive
Aims at testing a theory, begins Approaches
a "reality"
withofhypothesis,
material objects, and possibly of
emphasizes
abstract concepts,
causality, exists
mostly in an external
associated with world Realism
independently of our minds
quantitative and perceptions.
studies.

socialAims
worlds cannot be studied
at generating in the same way as
new theory,
physical phenomena
begins with RQs,as complexity
exploring newneeds to be
takenphenomenon,
into account mostly associated
with qualitative studies.
Interpretivism
an ideology or proposition is true
if it works satisfactorily. Inductive

Pragmatism
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
developed by Saunders et al. (2007)
RESEARCH ONION
Positivism
Philosophies
can be scientifically verified
Experiment
or is capable of logical or
mathematical proof.Survey
Deductive
Aims at testing a theory, begins
Case of
Approaches
a "reality"
withofhypothesis,
material objects, and possibly
emphasizes
abstract concepts,
causality, exists
mostly Study
in an external
associated with world Realism
independently of our minds
quantitative and perceptions.
studies.
Check the Action Strategies
Handout for
socialAims
worlds
at cannot be studied
generating new in Research
the same way as
theory,
explanation
physical phenomena
begins with RQs,as complexity
exploring newneeds to be
takenphenomenon,
into account mostly associated
Grounded
with qualitative studies.theory
Interpretivism
an ideology or proposition is true
if itArchival Ethnography
works satisfactorily. Inductive
Research

Pragmatism
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
developed by Saunders et al. (2007)
RESEARCH ONION
Positivism
Philosophies
can be scientifically verified
Experiment
or is capable of logical or
mathematical proof.Survey
Mono methods Deductive
Choices Aims at testing a theory, begins Approaches
a "reality"
withofhypothesis,
material objects, Case of
and possibly
emphasizes
abstract concepts,
causality, exists
mostly Study
in an external
associated with world Realism
independently of our minds
quantitative and perceptions.
studies.
Mixed
methods
Action Strategies
socialAims
worlds cannot be studied
at generating in Research
the same way as
new theory,
physical
beginsphenomena
with RQs,as complexity
exploring newneeds to be
takenphenomenon,
into account mostly associated Grounded
with qualitative studies.theory
Multi methods Interpretivism
an ideology or proposition is true
if itArchival Ethnography
works satisfactorily. Inductive
Research

Pragmatism
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
developed by Saunders et al. (2007)
RESEARCH ONION
Positivism
Philosophies
can be scientifically verified
Experiment
or is capable of logical or
mathematical proof.Survey
Mono methods Deductive
Choices Aims at testing a theory, begins Approaches
a "reality"
withofhypothesis,
material objects, Case of
and possibly
emphasizes
Cross-sectional Study Realism
Time abstract concepts,
causality, exists
mostly in an external
associated with world
Horizon independently of our minds
quantitative and perceptions.
studies.
Mixed
methods
Action Strategies
socialAims
worlds cannot be studied
at generating in Research
the same way as
new theory,
physical
beginsphenomena
with RQs,as complexity
exploring newneeds to be
Longitudinal
taken into account mostly associated
phenomenon, Grounded
with qualitative studies.theory
Multi methods Interpretivism
an ideology or proposition is true
if itArchival Ethnography
works satisfactorily. Inductive
Research

Pragmatism
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
developed by Saunders et al. (2007)
RESEARCH ONION
Positivism
Philosophies
can be scientifically verified
Experiment
or is capable of logical or
mathematical proof.Survey
Mono methods Deductive
Choices Aims at testing a theory, begins Approaches
a "reality"
withofhypothesis,
material objects, Case of
and possibly
emphasizes
Cross-sectional Study Realism
Time abstract concepts,
causality, exists
mostly in an external
associated with world
Horizon independently of our minds
Data quantitative and perceptions.
studies.
Mixed
Collection
methods
Action Strategies
Techniques & data
social worlds
Aims
analysis cannot be studied
at generating in Research
the same way as
new theory,
& Procedures physical phenomena
begins with RQs,as complexity
exploring newneeds to be
Longitudinal
taken into account mostly associated
phenomenon, Grounded
with qualitative studies.theory
Multi methods Interpretivism
an ideology or proposition is true
if itArchival Ethnography
works satisfactorily. Inductive
Research

Pragmatism
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
developed by Saunders et al. (2007)
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
Pragma:
(Greek word): work/Action. Refers to workability, do-ability,
functionality.

As per pragmatism,
An ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily, that the
meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of
accepting it, and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected.

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti


All the other ancient philosophies have their roots in Europe. e.g. Idealism and realism over
the centuries and have many versions.
Pragmatism is (distinctively) seen as an American contribution to the world of philosophy,
for its contents strongly resonating with American themes.

Originators:
Charles Sanders Peirce William James John Dewey
(1839-1914) (1842-1910) (1859-1952)
Pragmatism received philosophical expression in the critical group
discussions of the Metaphysical Club in the 1870s in Cambridge.
Peirce, philosopher, logician, mathematician, and scientist, presented
his classic papers The Fixation of Belief (1877) and How To Make Our
Ideas Clear (1878)..
James, psychologist and a physician, published a paper in
1878,Spencers Definition of Mind as Correspondence with his
pragmatic beliefs.
Two decades later, in 1898, James introduced pragmatism to the public
in a lecture Philosophical Conceptions and Practical Results, delivered
at the University of California. He fully credited Peirce with the idea.
Dewey, psychologist, and educational reformer, related pragmatism to
an increased importance to the environment. According to him, learning
is dependent on the context of the time, place and circumstance.

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti


Pierce mostly used logic and language, and used his theory of
truth to test which principles were better than others. (for its
practical usage, rather than its purity of form).
Pragmatism took over the profession in US in 1890s.
James and Dewey created an entire branch of psychology called
functionalism.
John Watson (1878 1958) took the idea of functionalism,
combined it with conditioning and created BEHAVIORISM
(foremost theory in psychology in decades).
George Herbert mead (1863 1931) used pragmatism to create
symbolic interactionism one of the three main perspectives in
sociology.
Pragmatism faded out after world war II and emerged again in
1970s with the publication of Richard Rorty's Philosophy and the
Mirror of Nature (1979).
1. Metaphysics: EVOLUTION
Universe is dynamic and EVOLVING.
Pragmatist stance on metaphysics their philosophical system, metaphysically, is taking evolution
seriously in a way idealists or realists never did

Though some early Greek philosophers had some proto-evolutionary notes but their work wasnt
systematically developed.
The intellectual world, in nineteenth centaury, was starting to think less in terms of timeless absolutes
and were more thinking in terms of process and change (e.g. Dorwins theory of Evolution in 1858-9).
Pierce and James were at the point of their intellectual development, where the world is seriously
thinking in evolutionary terms.

When we EVOLVE, we CHANGE

Change or No absolute
No fixed Evolution is
process is Conditions
environment open ended
fundamental
2. Epistemology: SKEPTICISM
pragmatists endorse Skepticism (the theory that certain knowledge is impossible) which
changes the way they think about knowledge.

Consequences of SKEPTICISM

Uncertain,
Open Observation
willing to
mineded is a fallible
change
process

Knowledge of what is tentative, probabilistic, & fallibilistic.

Pragmatist's critique on Idealists and Realists:


Both, Idealists and Realists, believe that humans (philosophically) are primarily KNOWERS, &
secondarily, ACTORS.
Pragmatists believe that humans are primarily ACTORS, AGENTS, or DOERS.
TRUTH
Logical reasoning about TRUTH in Pragmatism:

Allows us to solve social problems, by:


TRUTH is what works.
being MODEST,
What works is what satisfies desires.
being tentative in our claims,
Therefore,
TRUTH is what satisfies desires.
& by NOT
Desires are Subjective. feeling a certainty for something,
Therefore, going to be dogmatic,
TRUTH is Subjective.
Therefore, pragmatists wont impose their judgements
Subjects are variables. on others, or psychological pressures to believe on
Therefore, what they believe, rather they will be more
TOLERENT and would believe on LIVE & LET LIVE.
TRUTH is Variable.

TRUTH is RELATIVE
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
TRUTH
Logical reasoning about TRUTH in Pragmatism:

TRUTH is what works. Problem1:


What works is what satisfies desires.
Therefore, Weirdos and Sickos or evils
TRUTH is what satisfies desires.
Pragmatism seems to undercut the ability to
Desires are Subjective. judge them.
Therefore,
The modern pragmatist argues that if we change
TRUTH is Subjective. the assumption of operating unit from an
Subjects are variables. individual to a group or a social unit, to make it,
Therefore, what works for, or benefits a social unit as a
TRUTH is Variable.
standard of evaluation.

TRUTH is RELATIVE
Presentation by: Afshan Chishti
TRUTH
Logical reasoning about truth in Pragmatism:

TRUTH is what works for Society.


What works is what satisfies social desires/goals/needs.
Therefore, John Dewey
TRUTH is what satisfies social desires. emphasized on
this approach.
Desires are socially Subjective.
Therefore,
TRUTH is socially Subjective.
Subjects are variables.
Therefore,
TRUTH is socially Variable.

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti


3. Value:

Value issues in pragmatism

Social Communal Democracy

Democratic process not as a political practice, but as social debate for social
consensus to determine what is TRUE for society, or what should be the social and
political structure of a society for the next period.

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti


TRUTH
Logical reasoning about TRUTH in Pragmatism:

TRUTH is what works for Society. Problem2:


What works is what satisfies social
desires.
Therefore, weirdos and Sickos Societies
TRUTH is what satisfies social
desires/goals/needs. Pragmatism havent solved this problem as yet.
Desires are socially Subjective.
Therefore,
TRUTH is socially Subjective.
Pragmatic approach for solution:
Subjects are variables.
should we have an objective framework for applying
Therefore,
universally on the societies
TRUTH is sociallyVariable.
Or, there is no way out to apply a uniform framework across
various cultures, because we are stuck in a society that is
bound in an intellectual and moral framework of its own.

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti


Nature of existence is not a worthy conversation for a pragmatist.
Interest is in the results than the deeper meaning of the universe or the
system that yielded that.
Truth is what endless rational and practical inquiry will yield.
It is practicality in the natural world. i.e. What works best or Getting
things done at a societal level, to benefit social units.

Focus: to determine the truth through Experience

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti


Philosophy of science
Philosophy of mind
Logic
Ethics
Religion
Aesthetics
Metaphysics
Public Administration

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti


Dr. Hicks, S. (2010, May 17). Pragmatic Philosophy, Clip 1. CEE Video Channel YouTube.
Retrieved from: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkOZ4IyAbNA&list=PL26A8BF2CE93EE7A6.
McDermid, D. (n.d). Pragmatism. In internet encyclopedia of psychology. Retrieved from:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/pragmati/
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. & Thornhill, A. (2009) Research methods for business students, (5th
ed.). England: Pearson Education.
Smith, W. (2017, July 14). Research Onion Made easy to understand and follow. Retrieved
from: https://www.allassignmenthelp.co.uk/blog/research-onion-made-easy-to-
understand-and-follow/

Presentation by: Afshan Chishti

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