Classical Pragmatism and its Varieties: On a Pluriform Metatheoretical Perspective for Knowledge Organization

被引:9
作者
Dousa, Thomas M. [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Illinois, Grad Sch Lib & Informat Sci, Urbana, IL 61801 USA
来源
KNOWLEDGE ORGANIZATION | 2010年 / 37卷 / 01期
关键词
INFORMATION-SCIENCE;
D O I
10.5771/0943-7444-2010-1-65
中图分类号
G25 [图书馆学、图书馆事业]; G35 [情报学、情报工作];
学科分类号
1205 ; 120501 ;
摘要
Pragmatism is a metatheoretical perspective within knowledge organization (KO) that derives from an American philosophical tradition active since the late 19(th) century. Its core feature is commitment to the evaluation of the adequacy of concepts and beliefs through the empirical test of practice: this entails epistemological antifoundationalism, fallibilism, contingency, social embeddedness, and pluralism. This article reviews three variants of Pragmatism that have been historically influential in philosophy-Charles Sanders Pierce's scientifically oriented pragmaticism, William James's subjectivist practicalism, and John Dewey's socially oriented instrumentalism-and indicates points of contact between them and KO theories propounded by Henry E. Bliss, Jesse H. Shera, and Birger Hjorland, respectively. KO applications of classical Pragmatism have tended to converge toward a socially pluralist model characteristic of Dewey. Recently, Richard Rorty's post-modern brand of Neopragmatism has found adherents within KO: whether it provides a more advantageous metatheoretical framework than classical Pragmatism remains to be seen.
引用
收藏
页码:65 / 71
页数:7
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