Classical Pragmatism Does Not Need an Upgrade

• Author: Patricia M. Shields
• DOI: 10.1177/0095399705278351
• Published date: 01 September 2005
• Date: 01 September 2005
• Subject Matter: Articles

10.1177/0095399705278351ADMINISTRATION & SOCIETY / September 2005Shields / CLASSICAL PRAGMATISM

Disputatio Sine Fine

CLASSICAL PRAGMATISM

DOES NOT NEED AN UPGRADE:

Lessons for Public Administration

PATRICIA M. SHIELDS

Texas State University

In 2003, Administration & Society published PatriciaShields’s “The Community of Inquiry:

Classical Pragmatism and Public Administration.” Shortly thereafter, Hugh Miller re-

sponded with “Old Pragmatism Needs and Upgrade”in the Disputatio Sine Fine section of

Administration& Society. He argued that scholars like Shields, Evans, and Snider should in-

corporate the ideas of RichardRorty into their scholarship. Miller’s article was followed by

a series of 9 essays debating the merits of Dewey and Rorty for public administration.This

article summarizes the debate and argues that Classical Pragmatism does not need an up-

grade.

[Rorty’s]importance to public administration (PA)seems limited simply to

his pointing the field back to—and thereby contributing to a revival of—

John Dewey.” (Snider, 2005, p. 246)

Administration & Society is to be applauded for promoting scholarly

dialogue in Disputatio Sine Fine. The recent debate initiated by my article

“The Community of Inquiry: Classical Pragmatism and Public Adminis-

504

EDITOR’S NOTE:Now we come to at least a temporary end of a debate about pragmatism

that has been going on since November 2003, when we published an essay by Patricia M.

Shields titled “The Community of Inquiry.” It drew a critical response from Hugh Miller

ADMINISTRATION & SOCIETY, Vol. 37 No. 4, September 2005 504-518

DOI: 10.1177/0095399705278351

© 2005 Sage Publications