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Is Barack Obama a Pragmatist?
I have noticed since President Obama’s inauguration, that newspapers, magazines, blog posts, as well as newscasters and political analysts refer to him as a Pragmatist. Whenever I read or hear this reference it makes me wonder how the word Pragmatist is being used. Is it only in the more common, small “p”, sense or is it being used in its more profound philosophical sense? I am thrilled at the possibility that our new president might be bringing an opportunity to reintroduce the idea of Pragmatism, in its capitol “P” sense, into the American vernacular.
In the small “p” sense a pragmatist is usually thought of as a person who is more interested in “getting the job done right” than in “getting it done their way.” If that is all that is meant when the president is called a pragmatist, then his early days in the White House seem to confirm his tendency in this direction.
Pragmatism in the more profound, capitol “P” sense is the name of the American Philosophy popularized by the great Harvard University philosopher, William James during the first decade of the 20th Century. The term was first used, however, decades before by another great American philosopher named Charles Sanders Peirce. Peirce first discussed his conception of Pragmatism during informal meetings of an intellectual circle called The Metaphysical Club. In addition to Peirce, the meetings included James before becoming a Harvard professor and Oliver Wendell Homes jr. before becoming a United States Supreme Court justice. After James had popularized the term, another celebrated American philosopher, John Dewey , used this powerful way of thinking to alter some of our most fundamental conceptions of education and democracy.
Pragmatism rests on a very simple but radical understanding about the nature of truth. That understanding is that truth is not an inherent property of an idea, but becomes an attribute of an idea only when that idea has proved itself in action. Let’s consider a simple example, the idea “I can fly.” According to Pragmatism, it would only be when I actually step off the edge of a building and float away that the idea “I can fly” would become true. (Although, as we all know, it is much more likely to prove false.) When considering an idea as simple and easily verifiable as this, Pragmatism looks like another word for common sense or even a little silly.
But, what happens when we apply this same, “its only true if it proves itself to be true,” validation test to some bigger ideas? Ideas like: “Everyone is entitled to truth, justice and the pursuit of happiness.” or “Representational democracy is the most just political system.” or “There is a God.” When applied to these examples Pragmatism insists that none of them are true unless they prove themselves to be true when acted upon. Some will protest that Pragmatism is asking us to give up faith in our ideals. I would say, to the contrary, it is demanding more faith in them. If you already know that what you believe is true before you act on it, how much faith do you really need? You already have a guarantee.
A Pragmatist in the capitol “P” sense is someone who feels a profound sense of responsibility for what they believe because they know that even their most cherished ideas have to prove themselves in action. A Pragmatist can never afford to rest in the certainty that they know the truth already. They must actively engage in the constant process of examining their ideas and then acting wholeheartedly, without hesitation, but also without the benefit of a guarantee. They are always looking to see what the results of their actions are. And as soon as those prove to be less than expected, a Pragmatist is ready to reexamine his/her ideas and improve upon them or discard them entirely.
A Pragmatist believes so much in their ideas that they are willing to risk acting on them, but they are not fixed in their beliefs. They are fluid, adaptable and introspective. Perhaps one of the greatest Pragmatic statements was made by Mahatma Gandhi when he said “My commitment is to truth, not to consistency.”
So is Barack Obama a Pragmatist (capitol “P”)? I for one hope he is.
Here are some examples of references to Obama as a pragmatist:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/01/barack_obamas_soaring_pragmati.html
Hi Jeff,
Great article!
I have never looked at a pragmatist as someone who stakes themselves on their beliefs in actions; this is quite a leap from my small “p” perception of pragmatism so far. But with this educating article of yours I am convinced that Obama is a PRAGMATIST. At the same time I am also aware that he needs other Pragmatists (like me and you and as many as possible) to be victorious!
Jeff,
This is great investigation! As a former doctoral student in Philosophy, I ultimately gave up on “traditional” philosophy in favor of the work of B.F. Skinner, who in my view was the ultimate Pragmatist in the way you describe it with a big “P.” Although he was often misunderstood by those who read his work superficially, or apparently did not read it with comprehension (e.g., Noam Chomsky), his more philosophical writing was, for example, non-dual (although he did not describe it as such) and very much in alignment with those who understand “meaning” to be based on use and empirical demonstration. His research was an open-ended investigation of what factors in the environment could be discovered to influence human behavior, both “inner” behavior and “outer” behavior. The science and technologies that came out of his “Radical Behaviorism” continue to influence just about every aspect of management, education, therapy, psychology, and so many other areas of human activity — despite protests by those who view it as “mechanistic.” It is no more mechanistic than our understanding of karma or interdependent origination. And it is certainly consistent with the “systems thinking” that I believe is at the root of Obama’s second-tier approach to governance.
Thank you very much for this blog. I hope you will investigate some of Skinner’s work as part of your research, including perhaps some of his collections of essays.
Thanks for your interesting post Jeff. I never thought of Pragmatism this way, but really appreciate having such a simple name for this important concept. Would you say that Pragmatism beats the crap out of postmodern relativism or fundamentalist determinism that both place no demands on us to move off our buts to DO something about what we say we believe in?
I don’t know if philosophical views can kick butt, but if they can, Pragmatism does in my book. 🙂
Hi Jeff, this is an interesting question you posed and a mind stretcher I have to say, – is Barack Obama a Pragmatist? I had to search out the meaning and understand what you presented as Pragmatism. I do really like this philosophical view very much, it appeals enormously because it is intelligent and rational and grounded in practicality. At the end of the day seems to make absolute sense, because it is based on the idea that an idea has to be workable, and if not, then discard it and move on to something else, replace it with something more valid and practical. If it does not work or is not useful in solving problems and informing, why use it basically, that’s my black and white response. From my observations of Barack Obama and from the autobiography ‘Dreams of my Father’ I’ve been reading, so far I would have to say that he appears to have very strong Pragmatist leanings. He definitely seemed to be searching out what was really true as a young man finding his place in the world and then later as a community organizer working to improve social issues. If something did not work he strove really hard to improve things or change them until they did. Above you have defined Pragmatists as ‘believing so much in their ideas that they are willing to risk acting on them, but they are not fixed in their beliefs. They are fluid, adaptible and introspective’. Barack Obama believed in his ideals to lead America as president and to change things for the better, by putting himself on the line, he took that great risk and acting on these ideals by running for president. From my observations of Barack Obama from afar, he does appear to have a fluid, easy going and adaptible character, and he does seem to be a deep thinker, to be a contemplative and introspective person. If this is the case, then I think we are in the best hands possible because he has a big and challenging job ahead, one which affects the whole world. I think our future actually depends on if he does have the qualities of the Pragmatist with a capital ‘P’. I’m sure Barack Obama will be tested, and then the proof will be in the pudding, as to wether his responses meet the criteria of qualifying to be awarded the title of Pragmatist. Like you, I certainly hope so.
tuldymk