Lecture

Understanding Situations: Dewey's Pragmatism and Social Environments

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In course

HUM-428: Science, technology and environment I

The aim of the course is to acquire the concepts and methods of Science and Technology Studies in order to learn how to decode the interweaving of science and technology in society by applying these elements to the general issues of innovation. ...

Description

This lecture delves into Dewey's pragmatism, emphasizing the importance of interpreting facts within social discussions. It explores the concept of 'situation' as a dynamic and interconnected part of an experienced world, as defined by Dewey and Goffman. The lecture also discusses the controlled transformation of indeterminate situations into unified wholes, as outlined in Dewey's 'Logic, the Theory of Inquiry'. Furthermore, it examines the situated nature of plans and actions, highlighting their contingency and specificity in different contexts. The specificity of situations is crucial for managing actions and interactions, as individuals or groups adapt based on anticipated and actual actions.

Instructor

Dominique Vinck

Official source

Related concepts (8)

Pragmatism

Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. Pragmatists contend that most philosophical topics—such as the nature of knowledge, language, concepts, meaning, belief, and science—are all best viewed in terms of their practical uses and successes. Pragmatism began in the United States in the 1870s.

Neopragmatism

Neopragmatism, sometimes called post-Deweyan pragmatism, linguistic pragmatism, or analytic pragmatism, is the philosophical tradition that infers that the meaning of words is a result of how they are used, rather than the objects they represent. The Blackwell Dictionary of Western Philosophy (2004) defines "neo-pragmatism" as "A postmodern version of pragmatism developed by the American philosopher Richard Rorty and drawing inspiration from authors such as John Dewey, Martin Heidegger, Wilfrid Sellars, W. V.

Pragmaticism

"Pragmaticism" is a term used by Charles Sanders Peirce for his pragmatic philosophy starting in 1905, in order to distance himself and it from pragmatism, the original name, which had been used in a manner he did not approve of in the "literary journals". Peirce in 1905 announced his coinage "pragmaticism", saying that it was "ugly enough to be safe from kidnappers" (Collected Papers (CP) 5.414). Today, outside of philosophy, "pragmatism" is often taken to refer to a compromise of aims or principles, even a ruthless search for mercenary advantage.

Social relation

A social relation is the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences, and describes any voluntary or involuntary interpersonal relationship between two or more individuals within and/or between groups. The group can be a language or kinship group, a social institution or organization, an economic class, a nation, or gender. Social relations are derived from human behavioral ecology, and, as an aggregate, form a coherent social structure whose constituent parts are best understood relative to each other and to the social ecosystem as a whole.

Interaction design

Interaction design, often abbreviated as IxD, is "the practice of designing interactive digital products, environments, systems, and services." While interaction design has an interest in form (similar to other design fields), its main area of focus rests on behavior. Rather than analyzing how things are, interaction design synthesizes and imagines things as they could be. This element of interaction design is what characterizes IxD as a design field, as opposed to a science or engineering field.

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