Pragmatism, a philosophy  devised by William James, John Dewey, and others, is anti-principle.  Pragmatism says that principles are snares and delusions.  Pragmatists teach explicitly that contradictions are inevitable and that it is folly to try to define a consistent set of principles.  Reality, the pragmatists teach, is an ever-shifting flux; what was true tomorrow may not be true today; it’s all relative, and truth is just whatever works now. Or, to quote a well-known pragmatist: it all depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is.

From a speech “Philosophy: The Ultimate CEO” delivered by Harry Binswanger

HKO comments:

While principles are important, one must be careful not to have so many principles that it becomes a refuge from action.  One should have a few critical principles and negotiate the rest.

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