Pragmatism, critical realism, and the cognitive value of religion and science

Pragmatism and critical realism are different vocabularies for talking abou t the cognitive value of religion and science. Each can be, and has been, u sed to make the case for cognitive parity between religious and scientific discourse. Critical realism presupposes a particular form of cognitive psyc hology that entails general skepticism about the external world and foreclo ses scientific inquiry in the name of a preconceived idea of what the natur e of human cognition must be. Thus, of the two, pragmatism is the better vo cabulary for fostering mutual understanding between religion and science.