America's Contribution to Philosophy and Public Administration . Pragmatism is America's contribution to philosophy. It is the philosophy of common sense. Pragmatism uses purposeful, almost scientific, human inquiry as a focal point rather than the discovery of indisputable foundational principles. Instead of developing an undisputed theory which then would deductively necessarily provide guidance on action, under pragmatism, inquiry is viewed as a continuing process which acknowledges the qualitative nature of human experience as problematic situations emerge and are recognized and resolved.
Recognition involves the doubt associated with questioning existing belief systems.
Doubt, or the loss of faith, is resolved through critical reasoning and ultimately, like any science, tested in action. It is the philosophy of common sense because actions are assessed in light of practical consequences. One hundred one subjects among four MPA programs were asked to evaluate ten applicants for a government budget officer position. The results of their decisions and the decision processes were examined. We discuss the implications for ES design and future research.