instrumentalism

in·stru·men·tal·ism

noun \-ˌi-zəm\

Definition of INSTRUMENTALISM

: a doctrine that ideas are instruments of action and that their usefulness determines their truth

First Known Use of INSTRUMENTALISM

1909

Rhymes with INSTRUMENTALISM

abolitionism, academicism, agrarianism, anthropomorphism, anti-Semitism, bicameralism, colloquialism, colonialism, constitutionalism, cosmopolitism, ecumenicism, exceptionalism, exhibitionism, existentialism, fundamentalism, Hegelianism, hermaphroditism, hyperrealism, imperialism, industrialism, interventionism, irrationalism, isolationism, Malthusianism, Manichaeanism, materialism, millennialism, Monophysitism, multilingualism, neoclassicism, Neoplatonism, neorealism, Nestorianism, Occidentalism, orientalism, parochialism, Pelagianism, phenomenalism, photojournalism, pictorialism, Postimpressionism, professionalism, pseudoclassicism, reconstructionism, republicanism, Rosicrucianism, sacerdotalism, self-determinism, sadomasochism, sectarianism, sensationalism, sentimentalism, spiritualism, Tractarianism, traditionalism, transcendentalism, ultramontanism, universalism, utopianism, vocationalism

instrumentalism

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Philosophy advanced by John Dewey holding that what is most important in a thing or idea is its value as an instrument of action and that the truth of an idea lies in its usefulness. Dewey favored these terms over the term pragmatism to label the philosophy on which his views of education rested. His school claimed that cognition has evolved not for speculative or metaphysical purposes but for the practical purpose of successful adjustment. Ideas are conceived as instruments for transforming the uneasiness arising from facing a problem into the satisfaction of solving it.

Variants of INSTRUMENTALISM

instrumentalism or experimentalism