Pragmatism

DISCUSSION ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Your response to the discussion prompt questions should be a minimum of 550 words. You must use a minimum of three scholarly resources to support your information. Please save these resources as they will be used in a future assignment.

Please use information below

Choose Pragmatism for the philosophy:
review the four philosophical worldviews (i.e., positivism, post-positivism, constructivism, pragmatism) and identify what fits best with your philosophy.

Positivism – Single objective reality that we seek to discover.
Post-Positivism – Single objective reality that we seek to discover with the understanding that we never will fully understand it.
Constructivism – Reality is determined by the individual, and the researcher seeks to understand that view of reality.
Pragmatism – Focus on the ‘problem’ rather than the view of reality, using any tools available to understand the problem.
Considering the four philosophical worldviews (i.e., positivism, post-positivism, constructionism, pragmatic) discussed in the text, please respond to the following:

Which philosophical worldview most closely aligns with your perspective and how you view problems in the world? (Pragmatism) How so?
How does understanding the connection between philosophical worldview and research methodology assist in your research approach?
Compare/contrast research philosophical worldview with that of a Christian worldview. Are there any problem areas, or do most philosophical worldviews appear congruent with a Christian worldview?

Must have 3 peer reviewed articles

ANSWER

Pragmatism

Philosophical Worldview

The philosophical worldview is considered a vital array of what people consider as the truth that ultimately directs their conduct (DeWitt, 2018). Every individual’s worldview is constructed by several elements that include the past circumstances and experiences that build the lens through which they presently view the world. There are four different philosophical worldviews which include post-positivism, positivism, pragmatism and constructionism.

Philosophical Worldview that Closely Aligns with My Perspective

Pragmatism best fits my philosophical standpoint. Pragmatism is based on the principles that workability, usefulness, the practicality of ideas, proposals, and policies are in their merit criterion (Kelly, Dowling and Millar, 2018). Pragmatism holds that concepts borrow their meaning from truths and consequences from verification (Simpson, 2017). Pragmatism closely aligns with my perspectives and view of world problems since I believe in empirical, experimental and purposive thought based on and applies to experience. Ideally, pragmatism is the chase for practical knowledge that can be immediately meaningful. This is different from scepticism, where an individual is hesitant to accepting anything as true without having extensive evidence.

I am interested in tangible and immediate results of knowledge. Therefore, I do not necessarily align with either optimism or realism. I view realists as overthinkers while optimism is too detached from immediate concerns. I believe that something is true without even having to confirm that the idea or concept is universally true. For instance, if I consider a certain car brand as costly, it doesn’t matter that cost may be a human construct that might be meaningless in the human experience. From a pragmatic point of view, fuzzy logic and statics may be more meaningful since they deal with partial truths. The main concerns in research are finding a solution to an issue or enforcing new approaches. Appreciating and valuing the research is essential for pragmatics. As a pragmatist, I believe that the truth of every matter is what works best. I advocate for what is best for the problem that is occurring.

The Connection between Philosophical Worldview and Research Methodology

Ideally, research is a system of thoughts following which are reliable and new about the research. Research philosophy is the basis of research, which entails the formulation of the problem, selection of the research strategy, gathering data, processing, and analysis. The philosophical world views shape beliefs of what can be known and what can be known, thus shaping the research approach. The philosophical worldview reveals the assumptions made in research, thus leading to choices that are applied to the aim, design, methods of research, and interpretation of data (Khaldi, 2017). While conducting research, it is important to recognize how every philosophical worldview links with varying research methodology. This helps in preventing biases while choosing the most suitable research methodology.

Philosophical Vs. Christian Worldview

The philosophical worldviews are beliefs based on careful measurements and observations that try to make inferences to the general truth. The Christian worldview is a framework of beliefs and ideas through which Christians interact and interpret the world (Anderson, Clark and Naugle, 2017). Part of the philosophical worldview tends to align with the Christian worldview. Philosophical world view varies from Christian worldview since it observes the world distinct from naturalism, deism, materialism, deconstructionist postmodernism, pantheism and existentialism (Anderson, Clark and Naugle, 2017). The Christian worldview focuses on coherence, character, and unity that is in sharp contrast with speculations and theories. The Christian worldview has the stamp of reality and reason and stands the test of experience and history. While the philosophical worldviews are constructed on truths, the Christian worldview is built on the universal principle that shapes social sciences, nature, religion, law, humanities and all disciplines of study that apply in real life.

References

Anderson, T. J., Clark, W. M., & Naugle, D. K. (2017). An Introduction to Christian Worldview: Pursuing God’s Perspective in a Pluralistic World. InterVarsity Press.

DeWitt, R. (2018). Worldviews: An introduction to the history and philosophy of science. John Wiley & Sons.

Kelly, M., Dowling, M., & Millar, M. (2018). The search for understanding: The role of paradigms. Nurse Researcher, 25(4), 9-13.

Khaldi, K. (2017). Quantitative, qualitative or mixed research: which research paradigm to use?. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 7(2), 15-15.

Simpson, B. (2017). Pragmatism: A philosophy of practice. The SAGE handbook of qualitative business and management research methods: History and traditions, 54-68.