Methodological Pragmatism by Nicholas Rescher
A sustained defense of a pragmatic approach to intellectual method, arguing that methodological principles function as fallible tools whose legitimacy derives from their practical success in advancing cognitive goals. The work treats methods as heuristics to be judged by considerations such as simplicity, coherence, explanatory power, conservatism, and fruitfulness, and it emphasizes methodological pluralism and flexibility: competing rules are to be balanced and resolved by appeal to their problem-solving effectiveness rather than by appeal to immutable metaphysical truths. The overall aim is to provide a systematic account of how researchers and theorists should choose and revise procedures for inquiry, grounding methodological norms in instrumental and epistemic payoffs while urging ongoing meta-methodological reflection to promote progress in knowledge-seeking endeavors.
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- American
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- Original Language
- English
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