Pragmatism and Progressivism

Historical Background

The roots of pragmatism and progressivism may be found in the thinking of Francis Bacon (1561–1626), who challenged the traditional approach to logic that relied on deduction to establish basic principles of philosophy and problem solving. Deduction begins with certain accepted statements or premises (usually from religious belief or speculation), and other statements or conclusions are deduced logically from them.

Bacon proposed that the old beliefs and generalizations should be subjected to induction based on observation and experimentation (later called the “scientific” method), putting a premium on human experience in everyday life. He advocated limiting the inductive method to material things, but pragmatists extended this approach to include economics, politics, psychology, education, ethics, and all matters of conjecture and concern.

John Locke (1632–1704) used Bacon's inductive methods to study how human beings develop knowledge and ways of living, believing that a human mind begins as a tabula rasa, or blank slate, and develops as a result of the experiences a person goes through. More and varied experiences are, therefore, needed to develop people so they may reach their greatest potential. Consequently, Locke advocated placing children in an environment where they are exposed to the most desirable experiences and influences.

The ideas behind pragmatism and progressivism as related to education may first be found among more modern thinkers in the work and writing of John Amos Comenius (1592–1670). A Moravian bishop and teacher, he believed that education should proceed through a long effort to achieve encyclopedic knowledge. Breaking with tradition emphasizing memorization and recitation, however, he advocated teaching methods that incorporated child development and the study of nature. Exposing children to the world in which they lived, Comenius would let children observe and thereby be led to an understanding of things about them.

Carrying ideas of Comenius a bit further, JeanJacques Rousseau (1712–1778), in his book Emile, describes how a boy should be educated in a manner that is natural and spontaneous, free from the evil influences of society, so that his real self could emerge. He would live in a world of nature, observing what was around him, not beginning intellectual education through books and more formal teaching until he was 13 years old. Even then, the natural curiosity of the boy would be allowed to guide and mold his educational experiences, with instruction being offered only as it came to be demanded through natural experiences. Not until he reached 15 to 20 years of age was the boy to come into contact with other boys, with the intent then to learn basic principles of religion and good relations with others. Consistent with his times, Rousseau advocated an entirely different kind of education for girls, one that would prepare them to serve men and make them happy.

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