Imperativo pragmatista e investigación social, parte I

Abstract

This article proposes an analysis on the impact of pragmatism in the social sciences. To do this, in this first part of the text, the intersections between pragmatist philosophy and sociology are explored, retracing the different intellectual contexts and the results of these intersections. In this way we try to show the differences between, on the one hand, the close link between pragmatism and sociology in the North American context and, on the other hand, the difficulties, and disagreements of that link in continental Europe. We also pay particular attention to the contemporary movement for the recovery of pragmatism, considering the conditions, opportunities, and challenges that this movement has for the social sciences in Latin America. Finally, we argue that the most productive way to think about the relationship between the pragmatist tradition and the social sciences is in terms of the configuration of an imperative for the development of research work. In these terms we express a type of relationship between philosophy and social sciences that moves away from the classic scheme formulated by epistemology.