Process, Pragmatism, and Philosophy: An Examination of Pragmatism and Textualism in Nursing Philosophical Discourse

Textualism and Pragmatism are often analyzed within discourse in the setting of the United States Supreme Court. Both philosophies seek to find legal truth to advance legal knowledge. A similar dichotomy is currently surfacing within nursing philosophy and theory as disciplinary knowledge and meaning-making are advanced. While Textualism and Pragmatism cannot be used universally given their philosophical limitations, they do enhance disciplinary discourse when used as methods. The current debate in both legal and nursing contexts using Breyer's (2024) arguments in favor of Pragmatism over Textualism are critiqued and the serious limitations of these philosophies clarified. An alternate philosophy, Process philosophy, is presented and applied. Process philosophy's application to the analysis organizes abstractions of legal arguments and clarifies Textualism and Pragmatism's ontological context-related implications. Finally, an exploration of ethical codes, a potential sign of dominant disciplinary Pragmatism, is provided with rationale for the need to consider process when evaluating ethics of care.