Economics Questions

Re: What's the difference between a realist and a pragmatist?

liberation — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 23:17:12 GMT

Thanks!

I kind of get it like 50-50. No problem.

Re: What's the difference between a realist and a pragmatist?

Smiling Dave — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:27:57 GMT

Both those terms, realist and pragmatist, are meant as praise, implying anyone who disagrees with the pragmatic realist is living in a fantasy world.

One might say the difference is akin to the difference between pure and applied math.

The term realist is used when talking about understanding the world, the realist being smart and the idealist being stupid.

Pragmatist is used when talking about the proper actions to be taken, the pragmatist interested in getting the job done, the idealist in unproductive insistence on principle.

Thus the realist knows tyrants are evil, the idealist thinks they are basically good guys with some fixable eccentricities.

The pragmatist will cut a deal with a tyrant to get some advantage, the idealist never would, because it is morally repugnant.

Re: What's the difference between a realist and a pragmatist?

Bert — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:48:00 GMT

To understand what the difference between the subscribers are you need to know the difference in philosophies.

My understanding of pragmatism comes from William James' The Varieties of Religious Experience and he further expands in Essays in Radical Empiricism (have this but not read it yet). This is where theory arises from practice and is put back at the practice itself (this works, why does it work? apply answer back to practice). Though I only know of pragmatism in the field of religion

Re: What's the difference between a realist and a pragmatist?

Groucho — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:11:02 GMT

A realist sees things the way they are.

A pragmatist assumes how things are is the way they'll always be.

What's the difference between a realist and a pragmatist?

liberation — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 12:02:09 GMT

I read in an article. But can't comprehend it even with the dictionary. Could you help?