On the danger of sacrificing principle for pragmatism ~ George Askaroff ~ When faced with substantial external pressure and uncertainty, principles of liberty are often sacrificed in the name of ‘pragmatism’. But doing so can come at a heavy cost. This is where the tale of my great-grandfather comes in, a Russian anarchist named German
I don’t think the framing of this article as a question of principles over pragmatism is a good one. Sure, the Bolshevik deserve all the hate for their counter-revolutionary project, but most people prefer pragmatism over principles and it is often misled principles that cause the most harm.
The better distinction is means Vs. ends. It might take a bit longer to explain, but you can be plenty of pragmatic in your day to day activities without putting the ends over the means.
Of course it is a kind of principle to never let the ends justify the means, but it is a rather pragmatic one, as experience shows over and over that the means strongly influence if not determine the ends.
I don’t think the framing of this article as a question of principles over pragmatism is a good one. Sure, the Bolshevik deserve all the hate for their counter-revolutionary project, but most people prefer pragmatism over principles and it is often misled principles that cause the most harm.
The better distinction is means Vs. ends. It might take a bit longer to explain, but you can be plenty of pragmatic in your day to day activities without putting the ends over the means.
Of course it is a kind of principle to never let the ends justify the means, but it is a rather pragmatic one, as experience shows over and over that the means strongly influence if not determine the ends.