Two Philosophies that Shape Public Administration
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Progressivism
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Pragmatism
Two Philosophies that Shape Public Administration
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Progressivism
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Mankind is inherently
good
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Achievable
perfection through human efforts
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Government is a
positive tool to make changes in society
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Pragmatism
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Truth is defined
as “what works”
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Tied to the
rationalism and scientific progress of the time
What are the Roots of Pragmatism?
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Around the turn
of the last century we fell in love with science and rationality
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Darwin’s
theories rested on the “constancy of change”
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The “basic
optimism” of Progressives meant that the change would be positive
What is Pragmatism?
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It
asserts that the truth of a theory can be judged only by its practical
consequences, so the question is: what difference would it make if it were
true? The comprehensive metaphysical schemes of European philosophers were thus
found to have no meaning, since their truth or falsity did not affect human
experience. In science, a theory was true if it "worked"--if its
expected consequences occurred. In ethics and theology a principle or belief
was true if it satisfied its holders.
Who are the Fathers of Pragmatism?
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William James (brother of Henry)
philosopher and psychologist 1842-1910
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John Dewey, philosopher and educator
1859-1952
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C.S. Pierce early concept of pragmatism that still
included a more “concrete” sense of truth gathered from “community of
inquirers” 1839-1914
Pragmatism in 40 Words or Less
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“The philosophy
of common sense”, developed at the turn of the 20th century
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America’s one original contribution to philosophy
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Doing What Works
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Experience tests
the theory to see what works
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Shields says it
is the “policy imprint” of Public Administration
Why Pragmatism Fits America
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The focus on
experience, consequence, context and problems makes it especially applicable to
US policy making
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Wilson’s
Bar-room brawl
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Our incremental nature
and the fact that policies are ongoing and successive rather than definitive
makes sense within a pragmatic philosophy
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Wildavsky’s problem succession
Pragmatic Learning
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Linked to
evolutionary theory, the pragmatic method of learning focuses on process
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Learning evolves
through experience
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The process is
made of:
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Experience
(concrete fact)
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Formulation of a
hypothesis (theory or policy)
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Actions which
test the theory (implementation)
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Consequences
validate a true theory (if it works)
Pragmatic Truth
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…a definition of
truth that is less rigid than classical philosophy (James)
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… the truth of an idea is not a stagnant property inherent in
it (James)
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“what works” is the pragmatic PA definition of truth - if a
policy works, it is true and valid
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The pragmatic truth
of a notion is traced by its “respective practical consequences”
Welcome to the Hotel Pragmatism
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William James’ Hotel Corridor metaphor:
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Pragmatism lies
in the midst of theories like a hotel corridor.
Pragmatism owns the corridor and the right to move freely from room to
room
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This is why PA is
considered a multi-disciplinary discipline
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“Critics
challenge (it) because it does not say what should be in the rooms…(it) is flawed because it does not provide guidance about larger
issues, values, norms, institutions and goals”
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Shields
says the rooms contain the
theories of politics, psychology, sociology, economics, etc.
The Mediator’s role
(more from William James)
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Tender-minded
rationalist
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a “devotee to the abstract and eternal principle”
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Theorist
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Policy makers
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“thinkers”
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Tough-minded
empiricists
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a “lover of facts in all their crude variety”
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“operators of the bureaucracy”
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Policy
implementers
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craftspeople
Examples to go with our Concepts
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Relative Truth
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Experience/Hypothesis/Test
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Tough-minded/Tender-Minded
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Mediator
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Psychotherapy
fees
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Employee Conflict
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Traffic light
placement
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PPBS in the
Military
Some Things to Ponder
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Is truth a relative thing? Is there such a thing as a fundamental truth?
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How important is it to know someone’s background
when evaluating their theories?
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Is the Politics/Admin Dichotomy really
dead? Page 28
Quote for the Day
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True ideas are
those we can assimilate, validate, corroborate and verify… the truth of an idea
is not a stagnant property inherent in it.
Truth happens to an idea. It
becomes true, is made true by events.
Its verity is in fact an event, a process.
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William James
(1907)