instrumentalism

[ in-struh-men-tl-iz-uhm ]

noun

, Philosophy.

1. the variety of pragmatism developed by John Dewey, maintaining that the truth of an idea is determined by its success in the active solution of a problem and that the value of ideas is determined by their function in human experience.

instrumentalism

/ ˌɪnstrəˈmɛntəˌlɪzəm /

noun

1. a system of pragmatic philosophy holding that ideas are instruments, that they should guide our actions and can change the world, and that their value consists not in their truth but in their success
2. an antirealist philosophy of science that holds that theories are not true or false but are merely tools for deriving predictions from observational data

Word History and Origins

Origin of instrumentalism¹

First recorded in 1905–10; instrumental + -ism

Example Sentences

In the logical version of pragmatism termed instrumentalism, action or practice does indeed play a fundamental rle.

From Project Gutenberg

Is Instrumentalism only283 philistinism called by a more descriptive name?

From Project Gutenberg

This explains why this conception was labeled instrumentalism or pragmatics of verification.

From Project Gutenberg

For instrumentalism, however, the alleged dilemma simply does not exist.

From Project Gutenberg

On the contrary, instrumentalism is the only theory to which deduction is not a mystery.

From Project Gutenberg