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Pragmatism vs Functionalism - What's the difference?

pragmatism | functionalism |

In philosophy terms the difference between pragmatism and functionalism

is that pragmatism is the idea that beliefs are identified with the actions of a believer, and the truth of beliefs with success of those actions in securing a believer's goals; the doctrine that ideas must be looked at in terms of their practical effects and consequences while functionalism is the definition of mental states in terms of their causes and effects.

As nouns the difference between pragmatism and functionalism

is that pragmatism is the pursuit of practicality over aesthetic qualities; a concentration on facts rather than emotions or ideals while functionalism is a doctrine, in several fields, that the function of something should be reflected in its design and the materials used in its construction.

pragmatism

Noun

  • The pursuit of practicality over aesthetic qualities; a concentration on facts rather than emotions or ideals.
  • (politics) The theory that political problems should be met with practical solutions rather than ideological ones.
  • (philosophy) The idea that beliefs are identified with the actions of a believer, and the truth of beliefs with success of those actions in securing a believer's goals; the doctrine that ideas must be looked at in terms of their practical effects and consequences.
  • * 1902 , William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience , Folio Society 2008, p. 378:
  • Our conception of these practical consequences is for us the whole of our conception of the object [...] This is the principle of Peirce, the principle of pragmatism .

    Antonyms

    * idealism * contemplation

    functionalism

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • (architecture) A doctrine, in several fields, that the function of something should be reflected in its design and the materials used in its construction
  • (philosophy) The definition of mental states in terms of their causes and effects
  • (social science) The idea that social and cultural cohesion are a function of the interdependence and interactions of the institutions of a society
  • (psychology) A general school of thought that considers psychological phenomena in terms of their role in adaptation to the person's environment