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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