Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism 25.1 (2017) 43–52 ISSN 1522-7340 (print) ISSN 2052-8388 (online) https://doi.org/10.1558/eph.33216 Pragmatic Social Justice: A Conceptual Framework for Practitioners Eric Hogan Auburn University [email protected] Abstract To better understand engagement, I offer a perspective of social justice that understands context and history. Tying in pragmatism into social justice is a foundational step to better understand the inner working of a community. We must acknowledge we can change the environment, have dialogue and actively reflect, and understand what works one place might not work some- where else. In this article, the notions of pragmatism and social justice are discussed. Following is a building of a pragmatic social justice framework. This notion is in support to how practitioners can potentially engage in prag- matic social justice. Keywords Pragmatism, social Justice, participatory democracy Situated between idealistic and realistic, we as practitioners need to reflect on how to engage with community. Many talk about being fighters for social justice. In this discussion, I offer an insight on how to further appreciate being a social justice advocate. I formally attempt to link the concept of social justice with the philosophical tradition of pragmatism. It should be noted that both social justice and pragmatism are too great of concepts to discuss in a paper. They are too great that there is not an agreed upon defi- nition for either; only certain defining features that attempt to better under- stand. I begin this paper discussing the philosophical tradition of pragma- tism and outline its historical roots and foundational concepts. I then briefly discuss the notion of social justice, explicitly how I have become familiar. Following that is a discussion on the conceptual framework of pragmatic social justice. The pragmatic social justice lens is one that appreciates the foundational concepts of pragmatism embedded in social justice. It is my hope this is able to link the concepts for current and future practitioners, regardless of field. I believe a better appreciation for the concepts can lend itself to positive social change. © Equinox Publishing Ltd. 2017, Office 415, The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX 44 Pragmatic Social Justice: Pragmatism Pragmatism concentrates on whether knowledge is useful, or rather, whether it can guide behavior that produces anticipated outcomes (Morgan, 2014a, Morgan 2014b; Tashakori and Teddlie 2010). Or better stated, pragmatism recognizes knowledge comes from taking action and learning from those out- comes. Initially pragmatism acted as a way to relieve the tension between empiricism and rationalism. Empiricism used experiences to justify truth, while rational- ism used intuition (Hookway 2015). The notion of pragmatism bridged the gap between mind or rationalism and body or empiricism (Hookway 2015). Where rationalism and empiricism looked to determine truth, pragmatism looked to determine practical notions; i.e. accepting practical consequences and not accepting unpractical ones (McDermid 2006). Pragmatism then, has three assumptions: 1) there is no mind/body split, 2) there is an active mind, and 3) is based on functionalism (Hookway 2015). The mind is present espe- cially in inquiry (Dewey 1896; James 1909). To understand pragmatism, there needs to be an understanding that what- ever action(s) taken is (are) rooted in human experience and occurs within historical and cultural contexts and certain behaviors have practical outcomes for each individual (Morgan 2014). With a criticism of skepticism, pragma- tism argued not for a complete denial of all beliefs, but an understanding that some beliefs work better given the context (McDermid 2006). As James said “We have to live today by what truth we can get today and be ready tomor- row to call it falsehood” (1907) This helped establish the notion of fallibility. Fallibility suggests nothing can truly be known when the world is constantly changing (James 1907). Some ideas will work better than others and it is our job to determine the most effective strategies. Programs need to constantly adapt to better understand the changing culture. A fine example of this is lan- guage use and its appreciation towards more inclusive language as subjugated population are better understood. To this end though, theories can be relied upon time and again to solve pressing problems and to clear up significant difficulties. To the extent a theory functions practically, makes sense to keep using it, but there always must be the possibility that it will eventually have to be replaced by some theory that works better (Hookway 2015; McDermid 2006). These historical and cultural contexts are relevant to the members’ value beliefs rooted in what has come before working with any program. Acknowl- edging these contexts with each member allows for mutual learning to occur, leading to an appreciation as to what each member brings to the table; thus having the most efficiently and practically run program. Collaboration is important in this understanding. A key point in pragmatism is the notion © Equinox Publishing Ltd. 2017 Eric Hogan 45 of dialogue across parties (Tashakori and Teddlie 2010; Morgan, 2014). Dia- logue is a communicative process that allows for all parties to provide insights from people’s history for the outcomes and goals of the project, directly align- ing with pragmatism. This notion is a framework that allows for research and engagement to build onto itself. This builds into the concept of inquiry, which will also be discussed under the pragmatic social justice lens. Social justice Social justice is a concept advocating for human rights. An agreed upon notion of this broad concept acknowledges social inequalities and how certain populations suffer at the expense of these inequalities (Adams 2013). A social justice framework also recognizes that the ones with power can often times oppress those, even unintentionally, through exploitation, marginalization, powerlessness, cultural imperialism, and violence (Young 2013). Engaging in a social justice framework appreciates that power differences exist because of certain social structures. There has to be an awareness that marginalized pop- ulations often times have more challenges that have been constructed in a historical context. This understanding of history can produce positive change. The social justice concept gets tough though when trying to balance the ten- sion between acknowledge a person’s difference and his or her similarities. To understand and appreciate social justice, it has to be understood in terms of both a process and a goal. It is a process because of the very evolutionary nature of society. As society changes, so too should the principles associated. If any political movement stops fighting, the movement ceases. Social justice is a goal because there needs to be something to strive for, something to want to achieve. In the constant changing environment however, the previous goals build a foundation for newer goals. There is always work that can be done for those that have limited power. Just like in research, answering one question creates more questions. Accomplishing one goal, allows more difficult attaina- ble goals to start be accomplished. It is an infinite number of dominoes falling after each other. Good intentions are needed in advocacy, but good intentions are limited without an appreciation for the given population. The concept of social justice is presented below in an applied format, as social justice can only exist when there is application. Pragmatic social justice as a conceptual framework After introducing pragmatism as a philosophical framework and social jus- tice as a theoretical framework, I now turn to the notion of pragmatic social justice. This section will focus on how pragmatism is used when attempting to engage in social justice. It is intended to move beyond simply good inten- tions. Social justice advocates understand there are problems in the world that create disadvantage to certain populations (Adams 2013; Young 2013). © Equinox Publishing Ltd. 2017 46 Pragmatic Social Justice: If these issues are ever to be resolved, at least to some extent, there needs to be strategies in place to deal with the issues. If a person has a voice, as Friere (1970) suggested, he or she can begin to combat personal and soci- etal oppression. A pragmatic social justice framework lends itself to finding workable solutions for marginalized populations. Recall, that pragmatism has three assumptions: 1) there is no mind/body split, 2) there is an active mind, and 3) is based on functionalism (Hookway 2015). Each point helps lay the foundation for how to potentially engage in pragmatic social justice. Prag- matism is more likely to bring social context to the forefront of philosophy, allowing for realities that are in flux and that are always being shaped and reconstructed by their context. Pragmatists emphasize that we must include particular and individual experiences in a pluralistic discussion of multiple realities, and that all parties involved in the issue be involved in any creation of a solution (Whipps 2013). Firstly, with regard to not having a mind/body split; another way of think- ing about this is there is no separation of a person from the environment. That notion, then allows a person to engage and potentially change an envi- ronment in which he or she is in to a degree that is physically possible. With the environment amendable, social justice, although an uphill process, is now possible. Meaning the oppressed can become actors that act in ways to change society. This is a big part of Friere’s (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. If an agent could not change the environment, subjugated populations would still suffer greatly at the hands of the ones in power. Change is possible, because an individual can change the current climate as they are not living in a void nor are people empty vessels. An outlet for which this change can occur is a participatory democracy also called a do-it-yourself democracy.