Pragmatism and Public Administration

Abstract

This article is a response to three articles that examine the promise of pragmatism for educational administration. The first, by Professors Zanetti and Carr, rejects pragmatism outright yet only refers to pragmatism obliquely if at all. This article does not seem sufficiently knowledgeable to provide any analysis, pro or con. The remaining articles evaluate the promise of pragmatism positively and seem well warranted in their appraisal. The article by Professor Snider does a good job of setting the historical context of pragmatism and explaining why it never caught on in public administration, and the article by Professor Evans also provides critical and creative appraisal. This article is an attempt to play the three articles off of each other in ways that allow them to illuminate one another.