Pragmatism as a Paradigm for Social Research

Although advocates of mixed-methods research have proposed pragmatism as a paradigm for social research, nearly all of that work has emphasized the practical rather than the philosophical aspects of pragmatism. This article addresses that gap by connecting John Dewey’s work on experience and inquiry to current issues in the study of social research. In doing so, it also addresses the political concerns that link pragmatism and social justice. As a new paradigm, pragmatism disrupts the assumptions of older approaches based on the philosophy of knowledge, while providing promising new directions for understanding the nature of social research.