In a recent employee engagement activity, a discussion on the topic “Pragmatism or Values”, ended in a debate on whether pragmatism, necessarily means compromise with your value system.
For many, pragmatism meant a deviation from the ethical practice to reach one’s goals. I argued that both the terms, ‘pragmatism & values’, have a deeper meaning to them and are related, but are not mutually exclusive. The presence of one doesn’t necessarily mean the absence of the other.
Collin's dictionary defines pragmatism as “the doctrine that, the content of a concept consists only in its practical applicability and that truth consists not in correspondence with the facts but in successful coherence with experience”. To simplify, it means a practical “fact of the matter” approach towards taking action that leads to known consequences or those experienced in the past.
The term 'Values', on the other hand, has been defined as “the generally accepted mode of conduct and the set of norms, goals, and beliefs binding any social group for determining what is desirable or undesirable , which serve as a frame of reference for the individual or the group in their pursuits”.
In essence, one can be pragmatic in one’s approach while being within the boundaries of one’s value system. I would lay special emphasis on the word ‘generally accepted’, which means such a belief or norm must comply with the social and legal system as well.
In our day-to-day lives, we make many such decisions based on our knowledge of the possible consequences without breaching the limits of the values that drive us.
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