Pragmatism, Realism and Moralism

Abstract

Pragmatism is often seen as an unpolitical doctrine. This article argues that it is shares important commitments with realist political theory, which stresses the distinctive character of the political and the difficulty of viewing political theory simply as applied ethics, and that many of its key arguments support realism. Having outlined the elective affinities between

Spotlight: Pragmatism in contemporary political theory

“…The specific case for bringing together these ideas from Brandom and arguments about political legitimacy is the realist one, that the relevance of this kind of theoretical principle to the turbulence and dynamism of actual political argument seems particularly challengeable (cf. Bagg, 2016; Festenstein, 2016). As a pragmatist argument, it isn’t sceptical, however, and seeks to provide an account of how there are nevertheless genuinely normative judgments to be made and contested about legitimacy in particular political contexts, in the absence of legitimating higher order theoretical principles.…”

The European Union Global Strategy and the EU's Maieutic Role*

“…59–60). Beliefs can be seen both as rooted in history and practice and as subject to justification, rational criticism, revision (Festenstein, 2016, p. 148). As Bauer and Brighi (2009, p. 164) underline, ‘knowledge does not exist outside experience and judgement, and these must be interpreted holistically to include, among other things, consequences’.…”

Unruly Pluralism and Inclusive Tolerance: The Normative Contribution of Jamesian Pragmatism to Non-ideal Theory

“… 3. For recent elaboration of the connections between pragmatism and realism, see Festenstein (2016, this issue), Bagg (forthcoming), and prior statements by Anderson (2010) and Knight and Johnson (2011). …”