INSTRUMENTALISM

instrumentalism

(noun) a system of pragmatic philosophy that considers idea to be instruments that should guide our actions and their value is measured by their success

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

instrumentalism (countable and uncountable, plural instrumentalisms)

(philosophy) In the philosophy of science, the view that concepts and theories are merely useful instruments whose worth is measured not by whether the concepts and theories are true or false (or correctly depict reality), but how effective they are in explaining and predicting phenomena.

Source: Wiktionary

In`stru*men"tal*ism, n. (Philos.)

Definition: The view that the sanction of truth is its utility, or that truth is genuine only in so far as it is a valuable instrument. -- In`stru*men"tal*ist, n.

Instrumentalism views truth as simply the value belonging to certain ideas in so far as these ideas are biological functions of our organisms, and psychological functions whereby we direct our choices and attain our successes. Josiah Royce.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition