INTRODUCTION
One
of the most important schools of philosophy of education is pragmatism.
Pragmatism stands between idealism and materialism a sort of compromise. Its
origin can be traced from the Sophists philosophers of ancient Greece who held
that man is the measure of all things.
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The
term pragmatism derives its origin from a Greek word meaning to do, to make, to
accomplish. So the use of words likes ‘action’ or ‘practice’ or ‘activity’.
Action gets priority over thought. Experience is at the centre of the universe. Everyone is
tested on the touch-stone of experience. Beliefs and ideas are true if they are
workable and profitable otherwise false. Will Durant sums up pragmatism as the
doctrine that truth is the practical efficiency of an idea. It follows there
from that pragmatism is not a philosophy but a method–the method of
experimentation. As a basis for school practice pragmatism opposes
pre-determined and pre-ordained objectives and curriculums. The past of the
pragmatist is dead.
Values are instrumental only. There are no
final or fixed values. They are evolved and are not true for all times and for
all situations. According to an undeviating standard of worth, pragmatism tends
to be individualistic, selfish; has no values; has no ethics and is thus superficial.
FORMS OF PRAGMATISM
