pragmatism Flashcards
what is pragmatism?
Flexibility in beliefs and approaches, decision-making based on practicality rather than principles or ideological goals.
how can thatcherism be seen as pragmatism?
Thatcherism can be seen as pragmatic at a time of economic stagnation. She suggested that the prevailing interpretation of Keynesian economics was not working, and her shifting views on the EU suggest that she could be flexible when her mood changed.
what did Otto von Bismarck say on pragmatism?
“Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best”
wha did Ian Gilmour say on pragamatism?
“The wise Conservative travels light.”
what did Edmund Burke say on pragmatism?
“A state without some means of change is without the means of its conservation.”
how does this differ from liberals view on pragmatism?
Despite their differences, liberals, both modern and classical, are guided by a set of core principles: the state is an artificial construction, the product of a ‘social contract’, there to guarantee our rights; excessive state power is something to be feared; the freedom of the individual must be at the forefront of all political decision making; humans are rational beings; society is making progress. Conservatives, on the other hand, could adopt any, all, or none of those positions, depending on the circumstance. This makes it more flexible than liberalism, and, conservatives would argue, more sensible.
